Economics of Human Energy

Thoughts about how money and human energy relate

Cost effective is the wrong way to think about value

In practice, a startup nonprofit has several important distinctions from traditional nonprofits: 1) it begins with a large goal and works backwards to identify incremental steps to achieve that goal, 2) it has an iterative, experimental mindset, and 3) it is an internet first organization.

marklutter.com • Startup Nonprofits

interesting framing. I’d been focused on the concept of eliminating the distinction between for-profit and non-profit, but this is an alternative way to examine the same problem, looking like it could have similar outcomes.

In the US, this began with the launch of TikTok.

Jonah Peretti • The Anti-SNARF Manifesto

this began well before TikTok.

It was always there from the time we networked the first computers together, because it’s the flaw with the economy first and foremost.

“Infinite-minded leaders understand that “best” is not a permanent state. Instead, they strive to be “better.” “Better” suggests a journey of constant improvement and makes us feel like we are being invited to contribute our talents and energies to make progress in that journey.”

-Simon Sinek

Constant improvement, gains of energy via better efficiency

High-quality access to information : social technologies that help people form high-quality opinions about important topics in an adversarial environment. I personally am bullish on prediction markets and Community Notes; you may have a different take on the solutions, but the point is that this topic is important.

Vitalik Buterin • Against Choosing Your Political Allegiances Based on Who Is "Pro-Crypto"

We need ways to filter, validate, and value large amounts of information. Traditionally, this has been limited to the wealthy in the form of “experts”

Paladin saves the world? Degrowth story.

Barbarian masculine energy saves the world? Degrowth story.

Enlightened sexless bureaucracy saves the world? Degrowth story.

Nurturing feminine energy saves the world? Degrowth story.

Unbridled technological acceleration saves the world? Degrowth story.

Unbridled GDP growth saves the world? Degrowth story.

Saintly

every story is a degrowth story

These I agree are degrowth stories.

I think the connection he’s making is to the book, so that the loss of complexity in society leaves people feeling lost and unvalued, and that leads to societal collapse.

What if we don’t tie society to complexity?

Work is a waste of my time. The things that I’m best at, that I get the most benefit from, and see the most big-picture results from, don’t feel like work.

Nicholas Goodey • Resistance and Embracing Your Nature

“Work” is wasting energy, because energy goes down. But the truly valuable things make energy go up.

This state the importance of unread books in a library. They're the reflection of the things we don't know. Just like Empty notes are better than no notes at all, it's a very socratic approach, considering his famous quote:

What I know is that I know nothing

Knowing this, we should not expect the proportion of unread books in our library to decrease.... See more

Antilibrary - My second-brain

Unread is important.

Doubtless we all need a lot more time for sheer sloth and slack than we ever enjoy now, regardless of income or occupation, but once recovered from employment-induced exhaustion nearly all of us want to act.

Bob Black • The Abolition of Work

Sloth isn’t the default state; it’s the state that is a result of energy sucking activities.