This old slatestarcodex post is fascinating to revisit in the context of everything that has happened in the 7 years since it was written:

https://slatestarcodex.com/2016/07/25/how-the-west-was-won/

Since the first time I read the post, I've probably become somewhat less confident in the idea that high-entropy cultures are almost always better.

And I feel like that's a common update coming out of recent trends: trumpism and wokeness have both proven themselves high-entropy, and it's kinda hard to approve of both.

Why did you ever have any confidence as to high-entropy cultures would ever be better?

Genuinely curious m. I’ve always thought the opposite where I’m sure the middle is the best.