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I have a theory that belief in authority (and conservative/authoritarian political ideologies that build on it) evolved because of this pressure, as a way to protect the culture and shared knowledge. In this view, hierarchies are a side effect of the belief in authority in large-scale societies. (I don't buy into the social and sexual dominance theories of hierarchies.)

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Authority can also be used to corrupt culture and shared knowledge instead of protecting it. In fact, I argue that over a long enough span of time, it inherently will simply because selection mechanisms will be gamed by people who put their own needs over that of the society.

By decoupling power with culture and shared knowledge, you can more effectively transmit these things to a broader audience while maintaining its integrity. In this setup, a critical mass of people in the community act as the immune system that helps to refine and develop the shared knowledge over time. I think artists, public intellectuals and thinkers of all kinds play this role in our society without the corrupting influence of a hierarchy.

unless a profit can be made...

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