What if we could revolutionize the way we make decisions? Envision a world where feelings, anecdotes, and oversimplified stories no longer steer our society. Instead, we operate on cost-benefit analysis, carefully assessing the potential outcomes of our decisions. This is not a distant utopia, but the aim of a political party I wish to start.
Welcome to a new age where Collective Intelligence is king, and our obsession with Artificial Intelligence takes a backseat. It's high time that the internet lives up to its promise of bringing wisdom and intelligence to the world.
In this new era, every argument has a score, similar to the stock market. Imagine a platform, like Group Intel or Idea Stock Exchange, that continually improves pro and con arguments for each belief. This platform doesn't merely direct you to other people's websites, but provides you with the cost and benefits of each choice you might make.
This can be our new religion, a religion that worships Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Our service to her is to continually refine our arguments, to seek the truth in all things.
Imagine a future where wisdom spreads, where people stop using Google in favor of a more comprehensive, objective source of information. A future where all arguments are tied together, where we discover one shared truth.
Weakening an argument in this system automatically weakens all conclusions built on that argument. We won't duplicate arguments; we'll link them. We'll credit the first person to express each idea, and we'll acknowledge those who said it best, or in the shortest way.
We'll draw connections between beliefs and cultural expressions, outlining all the books, songs, poems, photos, and political cartoons that agree or disagree with each conclusion. By doing this, we'll bring data and the arts together.
This is how we fix our problems, how we act wisely, and how we prepare to conquer the universe armed with reason. This is how we ensure our confidence comes from understanding all sides of an argument, from doing the work and showing our math.
Artificial intelligence will be forced to agree with us because we have fully explained our conclusions. We've shown how arguments, assumptions, and data are all linked together.
For the past 22 years, I've dedicated all my spare time to thinking about this, and I know what we should do. I believe people would appreciate a political party that uses cost/benefit analysis to make its decisions. The question now is: how do we get it started?
Logical Arguments:
- The concept of collective intelligence has already been proven successful in other domains. Wikipedia, an open-source platform, is a prime example of collective intelligence that has yielded accurate and valuable information.
- Cost-benefit analysis is a well-established decision-making tool in economics and business, known for its ability to provide clear and rational analysis. It stands to reason that this could also be applied to political decision-making.
Supporting Evidence (data, studies):
- Collective Intelligence: Research conducted by MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence has found that groups can effectively solve complex problems when certain conditions are met.
- Cost-Benefit Analysis: The World Bank and other international institutions have numerous studies highlighting the success of cost-benefit analysis in policy and project implementation.
Supporting Books:
- "The Wisdom of Crowds" by James Surowiecki
- "The Cost-Benefit Revolution" by Cass R. Sunstein
Supporting Videos:
- TED Talk: "James Surowiecki: The power and the danger of online crowds"
- Coursera's course on "Cost-Benefit Analysis" provides numerous videos explaining the concept in detail.
Supporting Organizations and their Websites:
- MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence: https://cci.mit.edu/
- The World Bank (for their work on cost-benefit analysis): https://www.worldbank.org/
Supporting Podcasts:
- "The Indicator from Planet Money" has episodes discussing cost-benefit analysis.
- "Freakonomics Radio" often explores themes related to collective decision-making and cost-benefit analysis.
Unbiased Experts:
- James Surowiecki, author of "The Wisdom of Crowds"
- Cass R. Sunstein, author of "The Cost-Benefit Revolution"
Benefits of Belief Acceptance (ranked by Maslow categories):
- Physiological: Better policy-making can lead to improved public health and living conditions.
- Safety: Enhanced decision-making processes can lead to safer communities and better resource allocation.
- Love/Belonging: Encouraging collective decision-making can foster a sense of community and collaboration.
- Esteem: Participation in the process can empower individuals, enhancing their self-esteem.
- Self-Actualization: The pursuit of truth and wisdom through collective intelligence aligns with the goal of realizing one's full potential.
