We often perceive politicians as avatars for our personal beliefs and political ideologies, symbolizing ideas like "Make America Great Again" or representing big or small government concepts. These politicians personify catchy slogans, embodying concepts such as compassion, protection, fairness, authority, loyalty, and righteousness. When they triumph over our perceived rivals, we feel a vicarious victory. However, when we over-invest emotionally, we lose sight of the bigger picture.
We often see ourselves engaged in competitions of ideas, expecting politicians to champion our causes. Yet, we fail to acknowledge that our true adversaries are deeper issues—entropy, hatred, death, destruction, and the challenges posed by other nations. We're competing to follow the path of wisdom, to make sound decisions, and to outdo authoritarian governments trying to outcompete us. In many sectors, such as education, they're already surpassing us.
We've turned politics into a bitter, revenge-filled contest, a zero-sum game where the winner takes all. Fueled by mistrust, past grievances, and blind beliefs, we focus on defeating the other side rather than tackling our vulnerabilities and responsibly handling power.
We need to abandon our obsessive pursuit of power, entrusting it to an evidence-based process. I'm not suggesting giving power to our enemies, but advocating that we stop the fight and rely on a process driven by evidence.
Many of us haven't yet fully grasped how scientific inquiry, effective altruism, cost-benefit analysis, conflict resolution, and other decision hygiene processes can bypass politics, personal beliefs, and intuitions. We haven't realized that these processes can help overcome problems for those willing to follow the evidence.
Our current perception of politics and politicians is distorted. Politics should not incite emotional tension but should be about evaluating and measuring potential costs and benefits based on past observations. It should not be about rigid philosophies of big or small government, nor about winning battles at all costs. There are countless examples of big and small governments failing due to corruption, inefficiency, and many other problems.
We must learn to use our minds more effectively, akin to a multifunctional tool that can weigh different options, rather than a weapon that fuels hatred. Our institutions should guide us toward rationality, impartiality, and wisdom, much like the symbols of Lady Justice and Athena. We should not approach politics with the mentality of wrestling fans, cheering for one side and demonizing the other.
Our founding fathers, such as George Washington and John Adams, discouraged political parties, understanding the danger of being caught up in personalities and the destructive cycle of winning or losing. They advocated for decision hygiene, for making choices based on careful consideration rather than bias.
Abraham Lincoln wisely noted that as a nation of freemen, we are either destined to live forever or die by our own hands. This realization prompts us to consider whether we need to reevaluate our political structures, create new political parties that are better at solving problems, or risk being surpassed by other nations.
We need a political party that doesn't merely promote dogmas or indulges in partisan biases. We need a party that uses collective intelligence to make mature and rational decisions that can balance the valid interests of both liberals and conservatives. We must stop demonizing the other side and encourage dialogue, respect, and discussion. We need political parties that are dedicated not just to winning but to showcasing the strongest arguments on various issues.
To reiterate, the world is more complex than it seems. No single ideology or set of ideas can solve all our problems. We need a forum that ties the strength of our beliefs to the strength of the evidence supporting them. Suppose you're willing to engage in rational problem-solving. In that case, the notion of a political party that puts ideas through cost-benefit analysis, conflict resolution, and logical forums may be a promising direction to explore.
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