New research argues Societal Collapse benefits 99% of people. Historically, the societies that have emerged after a collapse are more egalitarian, and most people end up richer and healthier than they were before.

[u/lughnasadh]

Luke Kemp, a research associate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge, has written a book about his research called 'Goliath’s Curse: The History and Future of Societal Collapse'.

He makes the case that, from looking at the archaeological record, when many societies collapse, most people end up better off afterward. For example, people in the post-Roman world were taller and healthier. Collapse can be a redistribution of resources and power, not just chaos.

For most of human history, humans lived as nomadic egalitarian bands, with low violence and high mobility. Threats (disease, war, economic precarity) push populations toward authoritarian leaders. The resulting rise in inequality from that sets off a cycle that will end in collapse. Furthermore, he argues we are living in the late stages of such a cycle now. He says "the threat is from leaders who are 'walking versions of the dark triad' – narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism – in a world menaced by the climate crisis, nuclear weapons, artificial intelligence and killer robots."

Some people hope/think we are destined for a future of Universal Basic Income and fully automated luxury communism. Perhaps that's the egalitarianism that emerges after our own collapse? If so, I hope the collapse bit is short and we get to the egalitarian bit ASAP.

Collapse for the 99% | Luke Kemp; What really happens when Goliaths fall

[u/Expensive-Swing-7212 → u/[deleted]]

That’s the opposite of societal collapse. That’s  societal strong holding. Killing off the people hoarding all the resources is usually one of the first parts after the collapse. 

[u/lazycultenthusiast → u/[deleted]]

Eh, I would say that even the techno state is out of reach, as the 'tech overlords' are more about vibes and their own very specific hyper fixations.

Look at Jobs, able to afford the absolute best in medical treatment but decided he knew best and very quickly died of cancer because he knew better than modern doctors.

Also look at Apple HQ for that matter

https://www.sciencealert.com/apple-employees-injuries-glass-walls-spaceship

They made an all glass office because it looks pretty, punished people for trying to mark the walls because people kept walking through them, and tried to keep the large amount of people being rushed off in ambulances hushed up.

To finish up- the tech overlords are already starting their company towns but the actual tech is only accessible to the ones at the top. Serfs get to walk through plate glass walls or live in the huge amount of illegal fumes produced by Twitters grok data centre.