[humanrebar]

> Presuming you’re not trolling

A rhetorical question isn't a troll. If someone is a troll, just flag them.

> explain to me how we don’t end up with a feudal society in a generation or four

As wealthy people die, they give their money to foundations and split it among their progeny and spouses. Some of them, it turns out, aren't great with money. The richest of the rich are no longer Carnegie, Rockefeller, or Weyerhäuser. A few generations out and the fortune is already spreading out naturally. Sure, some grandchildren are regional socialites and minor celebrities, but we're not exactly worried about which politicians Paris Hilton is palling around with.

[einarvollset]

I guess I don’t understand why smart people, like you seem to be, would want to design a system that inherently rewards nepotism instead of one that rewards innovation in the present.

Your system of “natural” fortune spreading was the default for all time until the modern welfare state came along. That’s what you want to return to? Hope that stupidity somehow spreads wealth the best?