We let the market dictate how society's resources are allocated. And we see, as a result, how the market is actually not at all interested in the satisfaction and well-being of the people in society.

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vladms an hour ago | parent | next [-]

I always wonder if people do not look for external reasons to avoid doing work or taking decisions themselves.

Most of the people I know do not spend their free time doing research into the satisfaction of society, and do not donate (even what they could!) to great causes. It is not the "market dictates" is "most of people dictate".

And still. I am writing this in an open-source browser, on an open-source operating system. The existence of this tools helps society no matter how you put it. So in fact, if you think of it, there are many people that do not "obey" the market. And this is only one way, there are others.

So maybe rather than "blame the market" be positive and tell us what way did you find to make a difference.

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js8 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

"The market" here is just a convenient substitute for "people weighted by the disposable income", which today roughly approximates to "rich people".

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robotpepi an hour ago | parent [-]

what's your point?

	▲	js8 5 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I wasn't really sure how to respond, it seemed obvious to me, so I put your question with the two comments into Claude. I genuinely think it gave a great response. I encourage you (or anybody) to try yourself next time, but here it is: The second person was essentially unpacking the phrase "the market" to reveal who it actually represents. Here are the top 3 interpretations of their point: 1. The market isn't a neutral arbiter — it's a voting system where money is the vote. When we say "the market decides," we're really saying that people with more money have more say. A billionaire's preference for a luxury yacht counts for vastly more than a poor person's need for affordable housing. So "market outcomes" aren't some objective measure of what society wants — they reflect what wealthy people want. 2. The first person's critique is correct, but misdirected. By saying "the market" is indifferent to people's well-being, the first commenter was almost treating the market like an external, autonomous force. The second person is saying: it's not some mysterious system — it's just rich people's preferences given structural power. The problem isn't the abstraction called "the market"; the problem is inequality in who gets to participate meaningfully in it. 3. The language of "the market" obscures a political reality. Calling something a "market outcome" makes it sound natural, inevitable, and impersonal. But framing it as "rich people's preferences dominate resource allocation" makes it sound like what it actually is — a political and social choice about whose interests get prioritized. The second person is essentially calling out the ideological function of the word "market" as a way to launder what is really a power structure. The three interpretations overlap, but they emphasize different things: the mechanics of how markets work, the validity of the first person's critique, and the rhetorical/political role of market language respectively.

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logicchains 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

>the market is actually not at all interested in the satisfaction and well-being of the people in society.

The biochem industry is extremely bad at creating things that increase the satisfaction and well-being of society; the vast majority of products are failures with few users. The reason tech companies make money is because they make things people actually want to use.

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hnlmorg 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

If that were the case then public services would be paid better.

Wages simply go to the industries that make the most money. There’s nothing more insightful than that.

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sigwinch 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Would you count Borlaug’s work as biotech?

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SiempreViernes 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Most ad-blockers are non-profits, how does that fit in your picture?

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logicchains 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Sorry, what have ad-blockers got to do with biotech?

	▲	esafak 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		> The reason tech companies make money is because they make things people actually want to use. Ad blockers are not products of tech companies but enthusiasts, as I understand it.

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Collectivism 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

>The biochem industry is extremely bad at creating things that increase the satisfaction and well-being of society

I'd argue the "satisfaction" of society has been hijacked. We cannot even, as a society, understand the impact on medicine, nutrition, agriculture and the well-being we could harness from focusing on the long term, rather than seeking dopamine hits through screens.

I blame Moloch. https://www.slatestarcodexabridged.com/Meditations-On-Moloch

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idiotsecant 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

At least you're honest enough to admit ignorant tech bro status out loud.