Jukka Aakula’s Reviews > What Happened to Liberal Democracy?: Remaking a Politics of Shared Prosperity > Status Update

"In an iconic 1960 paper that is quoted at the beginning of this chapter, J. C. R. Licklider argued that “human brains and computing machines will be coupled together very tightly,” meaning that brains would rely on information processed and provided by computers. This would all be in service of boosting human capabilities."

Instead of centralized AI Acemoglu promotes pro-worker AI based on Licklider's idea.

Excellent text on social engineering. I will write a text in Finnish on this chapter 8. Terra Cognita will publish book in Finnish

Social engineering by Christian priests, Islamic Ulema, Chinese kuja first beeing demand-driven then becoming supply-driven.

Then moving to social engineering by modern elite - the college educated, globalized, originally tolerant and inclusiveness-driven elite.

Social engineering used by all leaders to some extent even liberals but becomes supply-driven.

"Hence, across a number of religions and other ideological projects, once priests, preachers, clerics, teachers, and intellectuals are recruited and empowered to engage in social engineering, they tend to want more of it. Throughout the ages, supply-driven social engineering has been as common as the demand-driven sort"

USA is exceptional.

"Today, citizens of all industrialized nations, except the U.S., have a life expectancy at birth of over eighty."

Precisely: In 2024, U.S. life expectancy ... 79 years, 3.7 years below the comparable country average of 82.7 years.