FROM : Roman Skaskiw

QUESTION: Been reading Fukuyama — Seems state structures replaced kinship-Aristocratic ones b/c states were better at coordinating violence and meritocracy (first in war, then in bureaucracy).

He uses the end of the Chou Dynasty in China to illustrate this.

  1. Do you agree with this assessment? 2. Do you think modern technology and understanding could overcome these disadvantages if we reverted to some form of aristocratic kinship?

ANSWER:

Yes. Because they had insufficient property rights.

Yes, Because they had a low trust society.

The monarchies did not have this problem. Nor could they build such great edifices of war. I think, whether Fukukuyama admits it, where all other historians do, the purpose of the Chinese system was the conduct of war and suppression.

By contrast, the purpose of the western model is ADJUDICATION. One cannot had adjudication without property rights. One must have tyranny. One cannot have adjudication without property rights, one must have tyranny.

Command and control under the western model is superior. Rates of innovation under the western modal are superior. The fact that the Chinese got started first, is not much testimony. The fact that no matter what Europe did, when it used science, it exceeded rates of development of all other civilizations. Property rights and science. They are both ‘CALCULABLE’ institutions.

The west, under duress kept the “east” (desert and steppe people) at bay.

The east, under duress, kept the “west ” (desert and steppe people) at bay.

We just chose different models, and the desert and steppe people are still a (fkng) problem to this day.

Curt Doolittle

The Propertarian Institute

Kiev Ukraine