James
@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social
Join a bleeding-heart liberal, compulsive speculator rambling about saving the world with win-win games at nonzerosum.games!
created October 6, 2023
3,771 followers 473 following 598 posts
view profile on Bluesky Posts
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Sorry excuse my ignorance of blockchain mechanisms. Are you saying the metaphor doesn’t stretch that far? Or just there are restraints on whales in blockchain? If so, is there an analogous system of constraint that could be spoiled meaningfully in society?
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
(With the exception of some variation in preference) if you have vastly different outcomes for different demographics you either haven’t covered all the factors that provide equality of opportunity or you have to ascribe some sort of demographic superiority... which I’m sure you don’t want to do?
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I’m saying equality of outcome (demographically) is the best measure of equality of opportunity.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Agreed, but I still see this an indicator of other factors, not of failure of privileged acceptance. I explain this dynamic in nonzerosum.games/unlockingsol... about coordination problems, where factors are ineffective until combined with other necessary factors, at which point they become effective
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I concede this, but agree with you that "Very likely, the gain was not offset by the cost.". It's a cost I'm happy to pay for fairer representation (undoing the active prejudice of the past).
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I think as automation leads to further displacement, we are going to have to develop a more compassionate way of valuing people in the world. That's why I'm interested in fairness as a metric, the "predictor of future success" is a secondary concern for me.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm actually very pro-exam (especially now in the age of AI cheating). I never bought into the idea that some kids just weren't good at exams, in my experience, these kids were those that didn't put in any effort. I see your point, no doubt this is a good predictor of future success.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
You said "Trying to equalize these particular outcomes only caused harm." I'm pointing out that it didn't cause harm, it caused a benefit, just not a proportionate benefit.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
If they increased their intake of underprivileged students by 200%, and their graduates from underprivileged backgrounds only increased 150%, this would still be a win, wouldn't it? But it would indicate that there are other factors to be addressed.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I find it hard to believe that Harvard had less graduates from underprivileged backgrounds by accepting more students from underprivileged backgrounds. That seems, on the face of it almost impossible. It shouldn't be expected that the same proportion should succeed as the rest of the population.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Not really, because people who have had childhood full of disadvantages will not do as well on those tests as people who have been flooded with advantages, even if they have have the same base IQ (to reference one measure of potential).
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
The acceptance to the course is not the outcome, the outcome is the outcome. The acceptance, if it does not lead to the outcome, is shown to be an insufficient opportunity, and no doubt numerous other factors are playing roles. Given the failed outcome the task becomes to identify other factors.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Granted.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
One major benefit of levelling the playing field is that it makes identifying people with world-changing abilities or ideas (lost Einsteins/Jordans) much easier.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I tend to agree, my friend describes this as the gold-plated childhood model, allowing for a more libertarian adulthood. I think we’ll always need a safety net for adults though, as we can’t guarantee the level playing field absolutely.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Thank Andrew, ditto.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I agree, it does commit the person to a position that ranks demographics. It’s not necessarily motivated by racism or sexism, but that’s the result. I think it’s motivated by wanting to rationalise not giving up a position of advantage.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Actually handouts (direct giving) has been shown to be very effective.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reposted
Lucky for you I've coined yet another term... now before you get too excited, it is about meritocracy. The first simul-post on both the website: nonzerosum.games/effortocracy... and the podcast: podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/n... Choose whichever is least painful. #Meritocracy #Society #Policy #DEI
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Nice take, it would be interesting to think about the societal equivalent of proof of stake would be? Blockchain mechanisms are perhaps a good metaphor, as their purpose is to achieve "balance". It might be that the equivalent of PoW is free market capitalism... back to square one.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
There’s always one
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I agree with all that, sorry if my previous reply was a little curt, I'm just in the middle of work and trying not to let myself get too distracted :) (although that didn't stop me posting...)
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Even given the strict word-limit I did mention "preferences". And in terms of outcomes people are generally talking about demographic outcomes, not individual ones.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
I find the elevation of the term "equality of opportunity" over "equality of outcome" disingenuous. We can't have one without the other. There are preferences, but, in most cases, if we don't have equality of outcome, chances are we've missed something in the complex mix of opportunities #Thoughts
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reposted
A couple of people mentioned that the 'Capitalism ~ a Zero-Sum Game?' episode was a bit dense and difficult to take in, so I've relaxed the edit a little and added some clarifications. #Capitalism #Mercantilism #Socialism #Economics #Economy #Society #WallStreet #ZeroSum #NonZeroSum
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Lol, no offence taken.. I appreciate you.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Doing the lord’s work.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
“Non”-zero-sum.. the good kind :)
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Doesn’t bear thinking about.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
Lucky for you I've coined yet another term... now before you get too excited, it is about meritocracy. The first simul-post on both the website: nonzerosum.games/effortocracy... and the podcast: podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/n... Choose whichever is least painful. #Meritocracy #Society #Policy #DEI
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
A personal episode about the value of direct giving (and friendship). #EffectiveAltruism #Giving #Friendship #Africa #Struggles
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Please comment on the blog :)
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I would really love to continue this conversation, I think it's worthwhile, but I'm finding it increasingly difficult to address the nuances with this word limit, for instance the right to the protection of private property plays into this equation also... but I can't flesh that out appropriately.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
So, I advocate for wealth taxes because this, while limiting the natural freedoms of the wealthy, means that many more people aren't limited by poverty. To do this emphasise a right for people to have a more fair distribution of wealth / power. This value sits on the "rights" end of the spectrum.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Yes, I agree, in the post I'm using "Liberties" to mean natural freedoms (or natural rights) those not afforded by the state. In terms of my values as a "liberal" the liberty I aspire to is one where there is a greater spread of freedom to pursue and achieve happiness and potential.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I don't "measure" freedom. I understand it as it is in the dictionary. I'm not interested in it outside my own subjective experience, and I'm not trying to maximise it. The post is about how a binary trade-off (between freedom and rights) can have non-zero-sum benefits on a different dimension.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
That's why I said "murder" and not "kill". Soldiers, or people defending themselves don't murder, they kill. The exceptions you bring up with walking are the reason I don't try to measure freedom, there are too many exceptions.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
My views on free-will & determinism: nonzerosum.games/conscioussig.... My views on the importance of paradigm shifts: nonzerosum.games/paradigmshif...
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
In terms of fundamental measures of freedom, I don't have a solid answer, there various levels of coercion that need to be factored in, including internal automaticity which gets us into free-will and determinism—and I'm agnostic about that. I don't think it's actually particularly material to life.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Oh, sorry I see what you mean. By freedom/liberty I mean acting in a way that is not explicitly limited by the government. So, we are not free to murder, because there are laws against it. We are free to walk in a public street, because there are no laws against it.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm not sure conversation need be this absurd.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
"When a measure becomes a target it ceases to be a good measure"—Goodhart's Law. One of our favourite posts is now a podcast episode podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/n... #MentalModels #LifeHacks #Utopian #Moths #LehmanBrothers #Engagement #Ratings #Profits #GDP
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Literally from the piece I'm writing right now...
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
How can you live with yourself making such profoundly significant errors? Thanks for the long awaited reply :)
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Oh... I'm pretty sure I'm guilty of "So..." (thanks for making me aware that's a thing!)
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm not sure that's a reductio ad absurdum, it seems a direct implication. I agree, unbridled capitalism is inconsistent with democracy, there are numerous laws which exist (to limit money in politics, sometimes unsuccessfully) which acknowledge this fact.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I think there are lots of interesting directions this discussion could go, but I'd prefer to continue at the site nonzerosum.games/rightslibert... where we're not so restricted on words :)
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I lean toward the modern liberal position (like Rousseau, as opposed to the classical) that a level playing field enables freedom for the greatest number. As for measurement, I'll let Ted Lasso paraphrase the 1964 Supreme Court "It ain't easy to define, but you know it when you see it".
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm also not saying that my usage of the term is the canonical usage, I'm saying it is a useful perspective, which is clearer than using the terms interchangeably. But the full Rousseau quote is consistent with my usage.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
The full Rousseau quote is "Liberty is adherence to the law one has laid down for oneself" Cicero's similar quote "Liberty consists in the power of doing that which is permitted by the law" Both refer to liberty as personal freedom, and limit it to what is permitted by law.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Oh, sorry I've responded to your other post. If you'd like to discuss, the word limit over at the blog is much larger, allowing for a decent conversation. Also, sorry to disappoint but I don't know how society measures its freedom... not with a ruler.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I think "natural" rights (liberties) are specified as such to distinguish from rights (which are provided by the government). I'm not sure how liberty means adherence to the law... a liberty is a freedom, adherence to the law is limitation of on freedom. This is the main point I explain in the post
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Do we? I don't think I used "faith" at all in the piece, I very rarely use it at all due to the religious baggage you note. Confidence is also a noun... "confide" or "have confidence in" is a verb, but yes it doesn't have the blind certainty of faith. Thanks for reading.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
It's not meant to be making a case against what you're arguing here, it's mean to be asking how can we move further than a basic idea not accepting needless death, to make existence optimal not mere survival, solutions I point to are not contrary to increased saving of lives.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I absolutely take your point. The post was already pretty verbose without adding a disclaimer about how much death we are willing to tolerate. In general if people were asked "Is it okay in a modern society for people to needlessly die?" most would say no. The post concerns what comes next.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Slopper? That's a little presumptuous... I don't use Chat to write, I use to it test me on my history or philosophy knowledge when I'm in the car. I don't have any driver for my writing other than sharing my own ideas (no one is paying me)... all the writing and art are original.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
If it makes you feel any better, neither did I... but I saw it on a different platform, so figured... "well, it's new to Bluesky".
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
What is confidence? nonzerosum.games/confidence.h... A visual guide to understanding confidence differently in a way that can increase it. #PersonalDevelopment #SelfHelp #Others #Trust #Cooperation #Narcissism #SelfDoubt
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Wow, that is jaw-dropping, I knew there was racism in Aus, but that's stark.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Repeats not working? (having trouble parsing this)
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Yeah, nah, this happened before the release of 5 for sure. I’m just late ranting about it.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
Documentary editing… it’s pretty glamorous. #kit #setup #workstation #productivity #battlestation #workfromhome #freelancing #creativeworkspace
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
llm;dr
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Sheesh.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
😦
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Valid
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Also does that adolescent up-inclination at the end of every sentence, and loads of vocal fry. It's crazy making, like talking to a moody teenage know-all. "She" was really cool before :(
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
Does anyone feel like the new (the last month) ChatGPT voice has been ruined? My favourite voice 'Juniper' now says "um" and essentially sounds like she's not at all interested in my questions, both in tone and content... always wrapping up the conversation "so, yeah, essentially that's about it."
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
A couple of people mentioned that the 'Capitalism ~ a Zero-Sum Game?' episode was a bit dense and difficult to take in, so I've relaxed the edit a little and added some clarifications. #Capitalism #Mercantilism #Socialism #Economics #Economy #Society #WallStreet #ZeroSum #NonZeroSum
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I think your hunch is probably correct. It's really easy to set up bots on Bluesky.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Ah, yes… I make documentaries for my own company and hire contractors, but don’t have full time staff. Why do you ask?
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
A follow up to 'The Tetris Effect'… now in your pocket. Tetrings is a 2D ring-based take on 3D Tetris and you can play it in your browser on mobile. It's tricky to start with but very addictive once you get the hang of it.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Wouldn't that be a great rule, like the cake slices: your CEO can only earn say 10x the lowest paid employee, if they want at pay rise, they have to give all the little guys a proportionate one.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
In home ec class at school our teacher had a rule that if you are cutting the finished cake/pizza your partner chooses a piece first. Later when I learned about Rawls' "Veil of Ignorance" I noted that my hom ec teacher's rule was an example of it. Just discovered Rawls used the exact same example.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I don't think the government should have the right to police whether a person chooses to take their own lives for one reason or another. Though it should aim to create an environment which doesn't result in people wanting to do so, as much as that is possible.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Right, I see. I wasn't meaning to claim that we don't allow people to die if they choose to take their lives, in the case of euthanasia. I was meaning we don't accept citizens dying from conditions of poverty or preventable illness.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
A post with an actual game! Exploring the phenomenon of "The Tetris Effect" and showcasing a unique minimalist approach to what I've called "the obscuring problem" when trying to make a 3D version of Tetris... the solution: rings! #Tetris #3DTetris #Minimalist #UI #2D #3D #TetrisEffect
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
Well, that hit me like a tonne of bricks.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Yes, this is similar to photography (the comparison I use in the post). But like replacing frescoes with printed photographic banners, there’s an inherent cheapness when you use it (photography or generative AI) in place of something that would have conventionally taken more effort.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
Chat's spell-check contains an infinite loop 😕
Chris 🎮 DevPods.gg gamedev community (@chrisdeleon.bsky.social) reposted reply parent
p.s. 👇😎👇
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
Why I’m keeping my crappy drawings nonzerosum.games/crappydrawin...
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
While I agree with the sentiment, using an image that is so clearly AI generated is a little disingenuous.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I’m honoured :) doing my best to be positive too!
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
You’re right, the whole point of it all!
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
I'm not sure what you mean by the State, I mean (as defined in the text): The organised political authority empowered to create and enforce laws. By this definition a local authority is still a manifestation of the State.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Thanks, I'm a little confused about your comment here, it seems unrelated to the post (which doesn't mention suicide or euthanasia).
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
What a great attitude, pleased to meet you.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Also this
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
From nonzerosum.games/itssubjectiv...
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Absolutely, it's funny, running this site and having a sort of "brand" (for lack of a better word) to protect, has made me much better behaved, lol, when it comes to disagreements, and that has made online conversations a lot more productive and rewarding.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Hi, no, I was commenting to @elmiliheey.bsky.social I'm not sure why you received the message.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
?
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Just a heads, up there’s a typo on your banner..
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
What a vivid internal world your dog has.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
Apologies in advance this a one heck of a ramble, about what we should do next in a society where, thankfully, we don't let citizens needlessly die. #MoralPhilosophy #Philosophy #Ethics #Morality #Economics #Society #RedQueen #Malthus #Evolution #Armsrace
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
Will Ferrell hasn't aged a day.
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social)
Every “right” you gain comes at the cost of a “liberty” you lose. Where’s the sweet spot that maximises well-being? And what can this tell us about the myth of "Small" government? #Politics #Government #PoliticalPhilosophy #Tariffs #Tax #Policy #BigGovernment #SmallGovernment #Trump
James (@nonzerosumjames.bsky.social) reply parent
The original idea is in the first post: nonzerosum.games/betterrecycl... :) it’s not particularly original really, but still a good idea, I think.