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by TeMPOraL 3908 days ago
In some areas, it would be so much better if countries were really ruled like sim games. You need more energy for growth and global warming threatens your future? You start building goddamn nuclear power plants. No political bickering, no clueless citizens protesting everything at random because of fear or propaganda.
2 comments
guard-of-terra 3908 days ago
In some other areas, it would be a disaster. I have a habit of ditching game parties where I don't like the outcome. Do we want people to take risk and then just drop it and leave when it doesn't work? Because we've been there with top management compensation.

Most players are lousy at games they play, because they make movies they enjoy instead of movies that are proven best.

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im3w1l 3908 days ago
Enlightened despotism used to be a popular idea. I don't think it works because there is no guarantee they despot will optimize for country outcome rather than personal enjoyment.
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TeMPOraL 3908 days ago
Even Bible notes at some point that you have no guarantee that the son of the enlightened despot will be as good as his father. Still, the effectiveness of that type of rule is very appealing, especially comparing to the impotence of democracy and the fact that we have serious global problems that need to be solved right fucking now.
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amyjess 3908 days ago
My main worry about enlightened despotism is "what happens when the despot kicks the bucket?". No guarantee their successor will be as enlightened as them.

If you solve the succession problem, enlightened despotism starts sounding very good.

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jqm 3908 days ago
Except the term "enlightened" is most often relative to a groups desired outcomes...
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TeMPOraL 3907 days ago
That's good enough. It's better to have a stable and reasonable ruler that tries to do the Right Thing (i.e. optimize globally in the scale of country) than everyone trying to have it their - however smart or stupid - way.
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jqm 3907 days ago
Well I don't fully disagree, but then there are the "enlightened" rulers of ISIS trying to do the "right thing" for humanity...
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TeMPOraL 3907 days ago
Yeah, I'll grant you that. I guess that I dream of someone pulling off an enlightened semi-dictatorship based on liberal values...
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