Life, work, death and the peasant: Rent and extraction

The Hacker News discussion surrounding an article or series by Bret Devereux (ACOUP) reveals several key themes:

Appreciation for the Author's Work

Several users expressed strong admiration for Bret Devereux's writing, particularly his blog, "A Collection of Unmitigated Pedantry" (ACOUP). They highlighted his ability to make complex historical topics accessible and engaging, even for those without a background in history.

• dmbche stated, "ACOUP is absolutely phenomenal and I've not seen many writers (here also historian and tenured professor) both be so accessible and graspable while having a deep and nuanced understanding of the situation AND providing ample sources." They further emphasized their recommendation with, "10/10 couldn't recommend more."

• mcmoor also endorsed the author, noting, "I really really endorse most of the other ones especially ones touching in economics and logistics of ancient world."

• FearNotDaniel praised the author's work as "a remarkable blog, so fascinating and freely given."

• martin-t recommended Devereux's work to "any technically minded person even if it's about history," specifically mentioning articles on the industrial revolution, iron and steel, and sieges in The Lord of the Rings as examples. They highlighted his "knack for analyzing society from a systems level perspective and going into the right amount of depth for somebody who wants to understand the principles without having any background in history."

The Nuances of Academia and Professorship

A minor but noticeable thread in the conversation revolved around the author's academic status, specifically whether he holds a tenured professorship. This discussion touches on the broader issues within academia itself.

• dmbche initially described Devereux as a "tenured professor."

• mcmoor corrected this, stating, "he's not a tenured professor, much to his chagrin, he's an adjunct professor. This is exactly why he wrote a LOT about broken academia system too."

• dmbche found this detail "oddly specific."

• mcmoor elaborated that Devereux's blog was the reason they learned about the distinction between adjunct and tenured professors, and the associated problem of academia relying on fewer tenured positions and more adjuncts.

The Nature of Historical Narratives and Modern Parallels

The discussion frequently drew parallels between historical social structures and contemporary issues, prompting contemplation on how societies are organized and the evolution of social hierarchies.

• FearNotDaniel commented on the author's use of the "historical present" tense as potentially jarring, quoting an example of tense shifting within a sentence.

• docsaintly suggested the series would "really make you examine social hierarchies, including the ones that exist today. They are no accident."

• martin-t responded to this by positing that "Today's social structures exist because they evolved through history and shifting incentives." They then pondered the possibility of designing a better system with today's knowledge of psychology and an optimization for values like freedom, balance of power, and equality of opportunity.

• roenxi engaged with this idea, calling it "trivial" to design a better system in theory but difficult to implement and verify for the "median citizen." They also raised concerns about charismatic leaders and the influence of propaganda.

• kjkjadksj proposed "Banning campaigning" to reduce propaganda, which roenxi sarcastically countered by suggesting this thinking places kjkjadksj in a similar category to "people like Stalin." This led to a brief debate about whether campaigning and paid propaganda are fundamentally different, with kjkjadksj arguing that "advertisement is purely propaganda and leads to establishment victories over merit."

• SpicyLemonZest questioned whether "stump speeches not propaganda," highlighting the focus on compelling expression over substance.

• jahewson countered that "Being able to give a good speech is merit when the goal is to select a leader."

• argo_navis summarized the inherent difficulty in system design by stating, "The problem is that whatever system we come up in theory will have to be built in practice out of people, and there is never any shortage of people who will happily abuse the system and fellow people out of greed or delusion."

• Terr_ introduced a model for understanding political disagreements, particularly in modern US politics, referencing a video essay that distinguishes between adherents of "democratic egalitarianism" and "capitalist competitive sorting." This was used to explain how differing "base assumptions" can lead to seemingly inexplicable political stances.

• bongodongobob expressed frustration with political discourse, stating, "Our current regime lies through their teeth daily. Like obvious, completely made up lies. Every. Day. It's not a misunderstanding. One side is pushing for authoritarianism, one is not."

• idle_zealot responded that the disagreement is not a misunderstanding but a tension between fundamentally different values, where "If you believe in and value hierarchy then authoritarianism is natural and desirable."

• eleveriven observed that "hierarchies (then and now) are often deliberately constructed to funnel surplus upward, not just accidentally emergent."

• pessimizer brought up the historical subjugation of Black people, linking it to the rise of efficient farming techniques and land dispossession, lamenting that "Black people owned about 15 million acres of land in 1910, now they own about 1 million."

• eleveriven countered that attributing this solely to "efficiency" overlooks "how policy and power structures actively shaped who got to benefit from modern agriculture and who got left out (or pushed out)." They also noted how locked-up land traps excess labor for those "doing the extracting."

• rocqua connected the discussion to the Black Death, suggesting it reformed labor relations by reducing surplus labor and empowering peasants to negotiate. They wondered if the Black Death was "the best thing to happen to the peasant class" due to the subsequent social change.

The Question of "Why Haven't Things Changed?"

One user, alexashka, posed a series of thought-provoking questions about the potential for societal improvement and the systemic barriers that prevent it, essentially asking why obviously beneficial changes haven't been implemented.

• alexashka suggested phasing out marketing, simplifying accounting jobs, reducing the work week, making jobs teenage-friendly, and rethinking education by replacing high schools and universities with entry-level jobs. They asked, "The most pertinent question to ask is - why haven't any of these already happened? What kinds of people prevent these changes from occurring and what should be done about it? Do you know any of these people - are some of them your family members. Are you one of them? Why does no one seem to ask these questions and seek answers? :)"

Comparison to Other Works

A brief comparison was made to another popular work in a similar vein.

• simgt asked how the discussed series compares to Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel.

• vwem responded that both offer an "easy read" and make topics "fun and interesting," even if one isn't initially interested. They also noted encountering critiques of Diamond's theories but found his overall perspective interesting.