[munificent]

I don't know about a complete societal reset, but I sure would be interested in a corporate reset.

Forest fires are good for forests over the long term. They remove large old trees that are full of rot, dead wood, and parasites. Those old giants aren't using the sun's light and other resources efficiently, but they block too much light for smaller trees in the understory to grow tall enough to compete. A forest fire clears those out, returns the nutrients in them to the soil, and provides a level playing field for smaller trees to grow and compete.

I wouldn't go full Fight Club Project Mayhem, but I'd love something like a cleansing fire that periodically breaks up or disbands all corporations above a certain size.

[matmatmatmat]

Except this is not what happens at all. Older, larger trees tend to have thicker bark, which lets them survive the fires, while clearing out the understory and ground level.

Forest fires reset competition at the ground level while mostly maintaining the status quo for large, established trees.

[JanisL]

This is exactly the sort of dynamic that would happen in many economic "resets" and is a huge part of the reason why the ultra wealthy aren't as concerned by such resets as many people assume

[mxuribe]

> ...corporate reset...

You read my mind: this is exactly what is needed! I could not think of the right phrasing (because i, too, agree that a societal reset might not be the right thing here)...and the forest fire cleansing is an apt metaphor here. So thanks for sharing this thought!

[seattletech]

I am fairly certain that corporate charters were originally time-limited.

[mxuribe]

If you are correct - and i don't doubt that you are - then this frustrates me even more around why corporations push to extend the life of their copyrights, trademarks, patents, etc. Patents and such were supposed to be an aid to kick things off (for a nascent economy), not survive for the long-ass life of some large conglomerate corporation to squeeze every little last drop of juice from all the existing citrus fruit! (Sorry, i guess lately i've been feeling very anti-corporation...and i haven't had my coffee yet today.)

[mikem170]

I'm not sure what you're thinking of when you say a "societal reset". I've heard of this as debt forgiveness. No other property is interfered with. I believe it acts as a limit on how carried away, or long term entrenched, a society can get with debt.

[edmundsauto]

What makes you think the forest fire metaphor is applicable? Seems like a "firebombing Dresden" metaphor could just as easily apply.