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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   10468 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of April 28, 2025

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What if our fundamentals are exactly backwards?

New to The Motte, looking for constructive, critical discussion.

Here's an example of what I mean by a "fundamental":

Every economic system that has seemed credible to most people since the dawn of civilization has revolved around the legal establishment and safeguarding of property through the concept of ownership.

But what is ownership? I have my own ideas, but I asked ChatGPT and was surprised that it pretty much hit the nail on the head: the definitional characteristic of ownership is the legal right to deprive others.

This has been such a consistently universal view that very few people question it. Even fewer have thought through a cogent alternative. Most people go slack-jawed at the suggestion that an alternative is possible.

Here's something from years back, before I'd zeroed in on the perverse nature of ownership:

Capitalism makes sense to the paranoid who don't understand the concept of sharing. Capitalism is the application of KFR (kidnap for ransom) to resources (and human beings as "human resources"):

  1. Usurp rights over resources (physical or intellectual, materials or people or property) by fiat and, if necessary, by fraud and/or force

  2. Kidnap (abduct) said resources (e.g., put them into captive situations with no alternative)

  3. Hold hostage

  4. Demand ransom

  5. Release upon payment

You'll recognize the capitalistic counterparts as:

  1. Title/Ownership
  2. Acquisition/procurement
  3. Storage/warehousing
  4. Pricing
  5. Sale

Capitalism is psychopathy with a makeover.

Anyone want to brainstorm a viable alternative to "ownership"?

/images/17459352527399495.webp

  • -40

New to The Motte,

doubt

looking for constructive, critical discussion.

doubt

I for one do not welcome our robot overlords.

Okay, reading everything you have posted so far, I think you are using ChatGPT to generate some or all of your posts, and what isn't coming from ChatGPT seems to be mostly snarky, condescending, and belligerent. Or maybe that's ChatGPT too.

You have a steep hill to climb very quickly: convince me otherwise or I am going to suggest to the other mods that we just start banning with prejudice anyone who looks like "Har-de-har let's unleash ChatGPT on the Motte with a random hot take it can defend to the death."

You might be surprised how well formed an idea can be if you work on it together with an AI. Feeding it data, having it search, etc. Obviously you can’t just copy paste but it’s an art form. >How I learned to love slop.

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