If you’re ever in a political conversation that isn’t going well, this essay describes one reason why that might be so: people are thinking in terms of “good guys and bad guys,” not cause and effect. In most of human history, if someone didn’t understand a natural phenomenon, they would attribute it to some kind of god. Today, if people don’t understand politics, they attribute political and economic outcomes to some kind of god. Of course they don’t put it in those words, but both the ancient and the modern person, when confronted with complex reality, think, “This must have been done deliberately by the hand of [a very powerful being].” (Addition from June 2022, see
"People claim their gods (politicians, Elon Musk, “billionaires,” millenials, etc) cause various things with omnipotent directness, for good and ill, without reference to anything specific, or if it is specific, it is often just made up—the equivalent of “Zeus does lightning.”" - on the nose Daniel. Great pieces :)
"People claim their gods (politicians, Elon Musk, “billionaires,” millenials, etc) cause various things with omnipotent directness, for good and ill, without reference to anything specific, or if it is specific, it is often just made up—the equivalent of “Zeus does lightning.”" - on the nose Daniel. Great pieces :)