Politics from First-Principles
There are many Big Ideas that define the way societies have been structured across the generations. Each Big Idea comes with its own benefits and drawbacks. To properly evaluate the value of each system, we need to 1) compare it to other systems and 2) measure the trade-offs.
Let’s have a first-principles look at the different systems of governance and how they solve practical problems. We’ll go through a collection of scenarios and thought experiments to get a grasp on the merits of each.
We’ll ask:
- What’s the Big Idea?
- How are societal decisions made?
- Who will build the roads?
- Who will educate the children?
- Who will take care of grandma?
- What will I do day-to-day in this system?
- How are unwanted actions discouraged?
- How has this system functioned in history?
- Does this principle work at the personal level?
Communism: A Controlled World
Feudalism: A Captured World
Socialism: A Redistributed World
Oligarchy: An Assumed World
Democracy: A Popular World
Republic: A Represented World
Anarchism: A Free World
Nationalism: A Proud World
Globalism: A Shared World
Capitalism: A Money World