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PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   4730 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 24, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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In my experience, a number of the "forget 'politics,' build parallel institutions" types — I'm especially thinking of examples like "seasteading" enthusiasts, or Balaji Srinivasan and his "network state" — tend to dismiss questions of their proposals' economic viability with vague, optimistic handwaving. Is this just due to optimism bias and wishful thinking?

It's a selection bias. Those who start thinking about these questions abandon the whole idea.

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