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← A happy society requires that great numbers of the poor stay ignorant as well as poor

17 connected korrents · 10 moments from 14 Feb 1776 to 22 Sept 2026.

Everything filed under government government Everything filed under democracy democracy Everything filed under happiness happiness Everything filed under optimism optimism Everything filed under public debt public debt Same subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subjectSame subject Read this korrent: A happy society requires that great numbers of the poor stay ignorant as well as poor A happy society requires that greatnumbers of the poor stay ignorant as wellas poor BM Bernard Mandeville — holds since c. 1714–1733 — tap for who they are Same subject: No society can flourish when most of its members are poor, and those who feed and house everyone deserve to be decently fed and housed — tap to centre the map on it No society can flourish when most ofits members are poor, and those whofeed and house everyone deserve tobe decently fed and housed Last stated 251 years ago 9 Mar 1776 AS Adam Smith — holds since 1776-03-09 — tap for who they are Same subject: The rich and powerful are happy only to the degree that others are deprived — tap to centre the map on it The rich and powerful are happy onlyto the degree that others aredeprived JR Jean-Jacques Rousseau — holds since c. 1754–1755 — tap for who they are Same subject: Society is always a blessing, but government is at best a necessary evil and at worst an intolerable one — tap to centre the map on it Society is always a blessing, butgovernment is at best a necessaryevil and at worst an intolerable one Last stated 251 years ago 14 Feb 1776 TP Thomas Paine — holds since 1776-02-14 — tap for who they are Same subject: No form of society could prevent constant misery for many, or for everyone if all were equal — tap to centre the map on it No form of society could preventconstant misery for many, or foreveryone if all were equal TM Thomas Robert Malthus — holds since c. 1798 — tap for who they are Same subject: Without the poor laws the common people would on the whole have been much happier — tap to centre the map on it Without the poor laws the commonpeople would on the whole have beenmuch happier TM Thomas Robert Malthus — holds since c. 1798 — tap for who they are Same subject: The poor laws in some measure create the poor they maintain — tap to centre the map on it The poor laws in some measure createthe poor they maintain TM Thomas Robert Malthus — holds since c. 1798 — tap for who they are Same subject: It is a mistake, made even by many who think themselves wise, to believe the world holds more evil than good — tap to centre the map on it It is a mistake, made even by manywho think themselves wise, tobelieve the world holds more evilthan good MM Moses Maimonides — holds since c. 1190 — tap for who they are Same subject: Modernity probably brings more unhappiness than the past; acquiring things does not make people permanently happier. — tap to centre the map on it Modernity probably brings moreunhappiness than the past; acquiringthings does not make peoplepermanently happier. Last stated 6 years ago 12 Mar 2021 NR Naval Ravikant — holds since 2021-03-12 — tap for who they are Same subject: A ban on self-recursive improvement in AI models would create a big incentive for some other parts of the world to invest a lot more in compute. — tap to centre the map on it A ban on self-recursive improvementin AI models would create a bigincentive for some other parts ofthe world to invest a lot more incompute. Last stated a month ago 22 Sept 2026 TC Tyler Cowen — holds since 2026-09-22 — tap for who they are Same subject: A broken criminal justice institution survives precisely because it serves the people who run it. — tap to centre the map on it A broken criminal justiceinstitution survives preciselybecause it serves the people who runit. Last stated 2 months ago 1 Sept 2026 RB Radley Balko — holds since 2026-09-01 — tap for who they are Same subject: A candidate's political success is increasingly disconnected from their actual record of accomplishment. — tap to centre the map on it A candidate's political success isincreasingly disconnected from theiractual record of accomplishment. Last stated 2 months ago 31 Aug 2026 DD Daniel W. Drezner — holds since 2026-08-31 — tap for who they are Same subject: A company can run on truth only if its leader deeply desires it and rules with a firm hand rather than by democracy. — tap to centre the map on it A company can run on truth only ifits leader deeply desires it andrules with a firm hand rather thanby democracy. Last stated 2 years ago 6 Mar 2025 KG Kapil Gupta — holds since 2025-03-06 — tap for who they are Same subject: A company is not a democracy: every voice should be heard and then one person decides, and the decision should not be the popular one. — tap to centre the map on it A company is not a democracy: everyvoice should be heard and then oneperson decides, and the decisionshould not be the popular one. Last stated 5 months ago 2 Jun 2026 MP Mark Pincus — holds since 2026-06-02 — tap for who they are Same subject: A conversation needs several legitimate voices; if the people has only one, democracy becomes dictation — tap to centre the map on it A conversation needs severallegitimate voices; if the people hasonly one, democracy becomesdictation YH Yuval Noah Harari — holds since c. 2024–2025 — tap for who they are Same subject: A central bank can eliminate a self-fulfilling ('sunspot') debt crisis simply by credibly committing to buy as many bonds as needed at the low interest rate. — tap to centre the map on it A central bank can eliminate aself-fulfilling ('sunspot') debtcrisis simply by credibly committingto buy as many bonds as needed atthe low interest rate. Last stated 4 years ago 1 Jun 2022 OB Olivier Blanchard — holds since 2022-06-01 — tap for who they are Same subject: A government debt crisis is measurable and therefore visible well in advance; the diagnostic is mechanical rather than a matter of judgement. — tap to centre the map on it A government debt crisis ismeasurable and therefore visiblewell in advance; the diagnostic ismechanical rather than a matter ofjudgement. Last stated 2 months ago 21 Aug 2026 RD Ray Dalio — holds since 2026-08-21 — tap for who they are Same subject: A government's debt dynamics are a household's or a company's, except that it can print money and tax -- and those two powers are what change the ending. — tap to centre the map on it A government's debt dynamics are ahousehold's or a company's, exceptthat it can print money and tax --and those two powers are what changethe ending. Last stated 2 months ago 21 Aug 2026 RD Ray Dalio — holds since 2026-08-21 — tap for who they are
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At the centre A happy society requires that great numbers of the poor stay ignorant as well as poor Last stated c. 1714–1733 Holds Bernard Mandeville Read this korrent →