Executive summary: This exploratory post, drawing heavily on Luke Kemp’s Goliath’s Curse, challenges elite-centered views of societal collapse by arguing that collapse often improves life for the average person by dismantling extractive dominance hierarchies—and that inequality, not catastrophe per se, is the true driver of fragility, meaning a more democratic and egalitarian world could preempt collapse without suffering its harms.
Key points:
Collapse is often less catastrophic for the average person than history suggests, as accounts are usually written from elite perspectives; for many, collapse historically ended exploitation, slavery, and inequality.
Dominance hierarchies arise from storable, controllable resources and immobility, enabling elites to consolidate power—what Kemp calls “Goliath”; such systems are historically fragile, prone to rebellion or abandonment when inequality grows too steep.
Human societies were originally egalitarian and collaborative, with archaeological evidence suggesting peaceful coexistence, trade, and minimal violence among early hunter-gatherers—contradicting Hobbesian narratives of “nasty, brutish” pre-state life.
Inequality consistently undermines resilience, leading to corruption, elite overproduction, and imperial overreach; collapse typically follows when weakened systems face external shocks—seen in early empires, the Roman decline, and the Late Bronze Age collapse.
Modern global systems are more interdependent and technologically dangerous, making future collapse potentially more devastating; however, power remains concentrated in a few actors, suggesting targeted reforms could reduce systemic risk.
The post advocates proactively building egalitarian, participatory systems—via wealth redistribution, democratic innovation (e.g. citizens’ assemblies), and dismantling modern dominance hierarchies—rather than waiting for collapse to reset society at great cost.
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Executive summary: This exploratory post, drawing heavily on Luke Kemp’s Goliath’s Curse, challenges elite-centered views of societal collapse by arguing that collapse often improves life for the average person by dismantling extractive dominance hierarchies—and that inequality, not catastrophe per se, is the true driver of fragility, meaning a more democratic and egalitarian world could preempt collapse without suffering its harms.
Key points:
Collapse is often less catastrophic for the average person than history suggests, as accounts are usually written from elite perspectives; for many, collapse historically ended exploitation, slavery, and inequality.
Dominance hierarchies arise from storable, controllable resources and immobility, enabling elites to consolidate power—what Kemp calls “Goliath”; such systems are historically fragile, prone to rebellion or abandonment when inequality grows too steep.
Human societies were originally egalitarian and collaborative, with archaeological evidence suggesting peaceful coexistence, trade, and minimal violence among early hunter-gatherers—contradicting Hobbesian narratives of “nasty, brutish” pre-state life.
Inequality consistently undermines resilience, leading to corruption, elite overproduction, and imperial overreach; collapse typically follows when weakened systems face external shocks—seen in early empires, the Roman decline, and the Late Bronze Age collapse.
Modern global systems are more interdependent and technologically dangerous, making future collapse potentially more devastating; however, power remains concentrated in a few actors, suggesting targeted reforms could reduce systemic risk.
The post advocates proactively building egalitarian, participatory systems—via wealth redistribution, democratic innovation (e.g. citizens’ assemblies), and dismantling modern dominance hierarchies—rather than waiting for collapse to reset society at great cost.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.