That doesn’t change the fact that selfishness in this case is measurably less prudent in the long run. This is often the case for capitalist ills, but being selfish is only in one’s self interest if they ignore the bigger picture. The effects of our broken healthcare system are more well documented and understood, but it’s also the case with poverty and climate change. They make things worse for even the wealthiest people.
Even though the collective class of wealthy people is smaller and more capable of working together, they often got there by refusing to think about the collective, while those who were less selfish tended to get filtered out. It’s all too easy to undercut others who try to work together, so they choose the worse option consistently and fuck over everyone in the process. It’s the prisoner’s dilemma, with no one having the guts to risk the others getting ahead.
That is the fundamental reason why no major country will abandon fossil fuels. All our kids would be better off, but there’s too much risk of losing out to someone who didn’t do their part.
However, part of the problem is that the capitalists in charge refuse to acknowledge the benefits of not being selfish. To avoid the internal conflict of questioning their choices, we easily ignore unfortunate truths. It happens everywhere, from comedy entertainment to the highest levels of science. Repeated game theory does not favor the most selfish strategies, but people think that selfishness pays off in the long run, so they refuse to consider the most prudent options.
So no, you are actually wrong about what’s in rich people’s self interest, but you’re wrong in the same way they are. Capitalists are not more logical than average people; they’re actually quite stubborn and stupid. They’ll drink lead and die from it before they’ll accept that they’re wrong about it being safe.
That doesn’t change the fact that selfishness in this case is measurably less prudent in the long run. This is often the case for capitalist ills, but being selfish is only in one’s self interest if they ignore the bigger picture. The effects of our broken healthcare system are more well documented and understood, but it’s also the case with poverty and climate change. They make things worse for even the wealthiest people.
Even though the collective class of wealthy people is smaller and more capable of working together, they often got there by refusing to think about the collective, while those who were less selfish tended to get filtered out. It’s all too easy to undercut others who try to work together, so they choose the worse option consistently and fuck over everyone in the process. It’s the prisoner’s dilemma, with no one having the guts to risk the others getting ahead.
That is the fundamental reason why no major country will abandon fossil fuels. All our kids would be better off, but there’s too much risk of losing out to someone who didn’t do their part.
However, part of the problem is that the capitalists in charge refuse to acknowledge the benefits of not being selfish. To avoid the internal conflict of questioning their choices, we easily ignore unfortunate truths. It happens everywhere, from comedy entertainment to the highest levels of science. Repeated game theory does not favor the most selfish strategies, but people think that selfishness pays off in the long run, so they refuse to consider the most prudent options.
So no, you are actually wrong about what’s in rich people’s self interest, but you’re wrong in the same way they are. Capitalists are not more logical than average people; they’re actually quite stubborn and stupid. They’ll drink lead and die from it before they’ll accept that they’re wrong about it being safe.