This blog post seems to be slightly on the rambling end of the spectrum, which leads me to suggest that he would get a lot of value out of doing some more research; such as a pleasant browse through Wikipedia. There are surely well-recognised terms for the things he is describing and there'll be a lot of literature available if he uses them. For example, it looks to me like there is overlap between this article and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expectation_states_theory" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expectation_states_theory</a> or the concept of a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_group" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Status_group</a> so I'd expect the terms to come up. That wouldn't necessarily change the article but it'd give him a more robust mental framework to analyse these topics.<p>Also, the lead paragraph seems a bit incongruous. I mean, sure throwing in a random political jab will get people's attention but it lacks follow up analysis. Care is one of the least useful forces out there for making the world better. We've got so much more value out of harnessing greed and activating selfishness that it might be all we need to run a prosperous society. And hence the greedy are much more important to my wellbeing then nebulous people who care about me from a great distance. Most of my material wealth came from people who not only didn't care but also didn't care about me or even know I even existed. It was acquired on a strictly transactional basis to the benefit of everyone involved. That aligns the incentives to make wealth generation sustainable and available.
"Social dynamics from first principles" posts always grind my gears. It's a timid, egotistical landgrab, planting a flag on well-trodden ground.<p>The OG sociologists navigated with more humility. They accepted the role of observer + tourist. I liked Stigma by Erving Goffman.
I think this is the thesis:<p>> By telling the world directly what your community respects, you might induce them to change what they respect, or to join your community.<p>I think we're all pretty clear what different communities value, by the way those communities communicate, the way they act, and who they vote for as representatives. That's how you directly communicate what your community respects, the sum total of your words and actions, and actions count extra.
Based on the title, I was hoping this would be about some sort of personal metrics system, with a "circle" or gauge style graph for several categories, such as "Mental health", "Physical health", "Relationships", "Education", "Work satisfaction", etc.<p>Could be a fun app to make.