I get perpetually annoyed by Robin Hanson’s inability to properly grasp this concept. Peter Turchin’s books are clear about the concept and provide objective ways to quantify elite production, yet Hanson perpetually ignores them.
I discovered Robin Hanson around 3-4 years ago. I read one of his books, through his blog, and his twitter musings and polls.
Often he would question something fundamental about human interaction that seemed to me (and I suspect most) to have obvious and quite simple explanations. But he is intelligent and couldn't be missing the forrest for the trees I told myself. Clearly he must be operating many steps ahead. Levels above!
Now I wonder if maybe he just isn't so good with trees.
I do not mean to dismiss the entirety of his work. No doubt much of it has been valuable. He seems to struggle to understand people, in much the same way as one of the alien's he's obsessed might struggle.
