Thoughts

Democracy and the invisible hand

Read against the machine Instead of beauty, branding

AI-generated editorial illustration selected for this thought.
Illustration generated with ChatGPT by OpenAI, prompted and selected by Greg Conrad Smith, 2026.

Can we really expect democracy to work when so many people are “not even trying”? What “system” is able to protect us from the ruthless and selfish elements? What “system” can work when such a large fraction of the elements are simply in it for their own gain?

The idea that the “system” can work in spite of these obstacles strikes me as an extremely naive form of the doctrine of the invisible hand. Capitalism will take greed and convert it into prosperity? Democracy will take selfish ambition and pursuit of power at the expense of truth and without regard to the good of others and create … a just society? A great country?