Category: Politics, Power, and Governance

–“Q: CURT: WHAT IS THE RELATINOSHIP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND A HIGH TRUST SOCIETY?”–

Think of it as a Seesaw Problem.

The more homogeniety and individual ability, agency, and responsibilty on the population’s side the less need for government – because people can cooperate
-Vs-
The less homogeneity and individual ability, agency, and responsibilty on the population’s side, the more need for government – because people can’t cooperate.

So a high trust society produces minimal government.

People think government matters more than it does. It’s a contemporary illusion. It’s actually a militia, military, rule of law, civil religion, sequence that produces a high trust society. The government is just a reflection of that success or failure.

Thats why selling democracy instead of rule of law doesn’t work – it prevents formation of the sequence of militia, military, rule of law, trustworthiness, and trade before the privilege of participatory govenment is possible – because it requires a responsible polity that produces high trust that won’t be abused by democratic processes.

In fact, government re-creates the malincentives or amplifies them. When it’s rule of law (primacy of the law and the court) and the market for prosecution of irreciprocity that makes good government possible.

Cheers

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