As we approach the election here is a “tool” from Nassim Taleb that I found useful. Maybe you will as well.
I’m an
Anarchist at the international level.
Libertarian at the Federal level.
Republican at the State level.
Democrat at the Local level.
Socialist at the Friends level.
Communist at the Family level.
And Absolute Monarchist at the Individual level.
(Taleb originally referenced the middle four.)
I found this structure saved me a lot of time thinking about who to vote for in the last election at the various levels of government. I didn’t know the platform of every senator or township councilperson.
The beauty of the system is to realize that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all philosophy for running a government or an organization of any kind. There isn’t one, single correct political philosophy. There just isn’t.
At the individual level I have 100% say over my life. I’m the king of my own mind. (Or so I like to believe ;-)
At the family level the communist saying “To each according to their need; from each according to their ability” makes a lot of sense. The dog and children aren’t going to be able to take care of themselves, but I still expect certain things from them both.
At the friends level they’ve got a social safety net as much as I can provide.
This is a metamophosis argument, one that my high school physics teacher, Ron Milito, taught us. Sometimes the world becomes so much more obvious if you slowly turn the dial on one variable.
Just as you wouldn’t use a hammer to sew a shirt, use the right tool to solve problems of human association. Anarchy might not be the right tool to solve local politics. And socialism might not be the right tool to solve world politics.
Interesting things I found
Podcast with the bassist from Red Hot Chili Peppers on his childhood. Crazy! Broken Record hosted by Malcolm Gladwell.
Listening to the Discography of Red Hot Chili Peppers from start to finish. Have you done this before? try it! Fascinating to hear a band’s evolution over time.
Thank you for reading.
Please comment or email me with your thoughts so I can update my mental model.
WOW! Thank you Kyle, never had thought myself and political archetypes in different spheres. This is great brainfood and also a very accurate cheat-sheet for my own definitions. I guess we still have very keen minds! =)
WOW! Thank you Kyle, never had thought myself and political archetypes in different spheres. This is great brainfood and also a very accurate cheat-sheet for my own definitions. I guess we still have very keen minds! =)