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Comment by datadata | Hacker News Reader

The valuing of economic growth seems to be almost required as a Darwinian feature of nations. Resolve as a nation to value economic growth less than your neighbors, and you will soon be overpowered by them.

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Not if all the nations do it together.

Ah yes, truly an easy sell. Let's try telling that to the developing nations who's people are just getting access to clean water, electricity, refrigeration and transportation first.

I didn’t say it would be.

“We will do these things not because they are easy, but because they are hard”

Sure, but that is not a stable solution. Defection is rewarded.

So we need a reward (or a punishment) that is perceived as bigger than defection.

Yes! This is one of the many bad incentives.

I don't disagree, but I think the Darwinian part transcends the idea of incentives. You wouldn't say that a tree has an incentive to reproduce, as a byproduct of a Darwinian natural selection they are guaranteed to have that property. Similarly, civilizations that have economic activity are guaranteed (in a Darwinian sense) to have economic growth.

Have you been to small villages in developing countries? Their lives revolve around capitalism and local markets. Everyone knows each other. I've never seen more "neighborly" places

I don't see your point? I didn't say that capitalism leads to conflict, merely that not pursuing economic growth should lead to being overwhelmed by those that do.

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