From the beginning, the tone here seemed to promise a takedown of UBI and — tantalizingly — a better answer to the problems coming to our society. I’m a UBI skeptic, and so I trudged my way through this very long piece and never found that deeper critique. It’s just kind of nasty towards everyone involved while leaving the problematic corners of UBI untouched.

I reached the end wishing that all this cleverness had been directed more purposefully.