A couple of weeks ago I published an essay in which I imagined how the COVID-19 pandemic might play out differently in a parallel universe in which Earth is governed by a hypothetical system I call Optimalism. The essay was intentionally light on specifics, as I wanted to keep it short. This time I’m going to explain what Optimalism actually is and introduce a set of 3 powerful principles that could form the basis of a brand new type of government.
But first I need to make something clear: I don’t claim to have all the answers. I’m not a political or social scientist, nor an economist. I have a science degree, but I’ve spent most of my career working in the film and creative tech industries. I’m writing this as a human who believes that humanity, collectively, has limitless potential. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about why we aren’t fulfilling that potential and about the common root causes of humanity’s failings. I’ve also spent a lot of time examining natural and man-made systems that might serve as prototypes for a better way of doing civilization.
What I realized was that Science itself is the prototype I was looking for. The scientific method and the peer review process together constitute a system that is able to process disparate and, at times, seemingly contradictory inputs, to arrive at an ever-evolving consensus. It’s a system that’s responsive to…
