We may differ in our definitions of “fairness”, but most people agree that society should be fair
We live in a universe that is inherently unfair. A cosmic dice roll decides whether each of us is born into wealth and opportunity, or poverty and oppression. Natural disasters, accidents and random acts of violence destroy lives around the world every day. When we’re the unlucky ones, we hope that our governments and our communities will step up and help us. But we sometimes let ourselves think that other people deserve the bad luck they suffer and are unworthy of our help.
Optimalism seeks to systematize fairness in a scientific way that transcends any ideological definition. It aims to create a robust, anti-fragile society, where the unlucky are given the help they need to overcome their misfortune.
Monitoring unfairness and intervening to address it isn’t trivial. Certain people will try to game the system. By making the decision-making process open and transparent and by eliminating unilateral decisions, Optimalism is a harder system to exploit than the status quo. Under Optimalism, the processes themselves would constantly be monitored and tweaked to counter any strategies that emerge to subvert them.
But in the end, isn’t it more important to ensure that everyone who needs help gets it, than to block those who don’t?
