From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Wed Feb 12 2003 - 01:22:19 MST
Damien writes
> > The very act of choosing, spread widely enough and
> > freely enough, creates a power law distribution.
If people vote for each other at random, which would
be one way of choosing, then the math is the same as
what happens if you give a thousand dollars to a thousand
people at random. About one person gets 6 or so dollars,
and about .368 of the people get nothing (1/e). I don't
think it's a "power law" exactly, but the hierarchy is
similar. (This differs from giving a million dollars
at random to a thousand people, where almost everyone
gets nearly a thousand dollars.)
> > Inequality occurs in large and unconstrained social
> > systems for the same reasons stop-and-go traffic
> > occurs on busy roads, not because it is anyone's
> > goal, but because it is a reliable property that
> > emerges from the normal functioning of the system.
Yes, however you'd model such freedom in a computer
program, it's quite clear that such inequality would
obtain.
> This fundamental insight forms the basis of much of Steven
> Pinker's social policy ruminations in THE BLANK SLATE.
I keep reading over and over that the belief is widespread
in America that present difficulties in one's personal
situation, including a low standard of living, will get
better. I don't know a better word for that than optimism.
Of course, this can be a self-fulfilling prophesy,
especially if linked to a belief that one's actions
can put one ahead, even ahead of the average of one's
peers.
Lee
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