Network States

Geopolitics

It feels like promotion of virtue is a valuable social function and neither bigcorps nor government are incentivized or interested in doing it in the US?

Possibly explains the popularity of "12 rules for life" etc. Also I feel like it's an underappreciated theme in @balajis.eth's writings on network states.

Yes. Virtue is good because it’s decentralized self-control. The more virtuous the society, the more self-disciplined, the less need for centralized law enforcement, rules, and punishment in general.

Virtue is why we can have nice things.

Author of The Network State.
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Is there a distinction between virtue and trustworthiness?

Operator turned investor. Work in TradFi. Exploring the future of social investing @crossroads.  🟪

Yes, eg. someone can be fully honest and trustworthy but still be lazy and eat unhealthy food every day.

Hypothetically speaking, if you were to over-index on one (virtue or trustworthiness) in screening citizens for a network state, which would you choose?

I'd take trustworthiness; hard to make any kind of progress on other dimensions (incl virtue) if people constantly have to worry if their fellow citizens are about to betray them.

I expect that an environment where trustworthiness is highly valued and filtered for will automatically lead to both.

1. Can trustworthiness be taught? 

2. Or is it a matter of discerning and filtering the trustworthy from untrustworthy?

I want to say 1, but my gut says 2. 

Reality is likely somewhere in the middle.

I agree. 🫡

Lmk if you ever want to explore this line of thinking further.

And could trustworthiness practically stand in place of virtue? E.g. if one has committed to tasks and being held accountable by a community would a trustworthy individual be less lazy/more actively engaged?