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Problems

The Metacrisis: Technology that empowers can also destroy. We shape our tools, then our tools shape us.

Forces that are converging that are rapidly transforming our undertanding of how world works.

  1. Tech risk — AI, biotech, cyber weapons getting cheaper and more powerful
  2. Environmental collapse — Exponential growth on a finite planet
  3. System fragility — Global supply chains one shock away from breaking
  4. Coordination failure — Everyone optimizing locally, losing globally
  5. Financialization — Capital extracts instead of funds production

The meta of the matter is what matters most.

Categories

The Meta Problem

The hardest problem is identifying which problem to solve. Most effort gets wasted on:

  • Symptoms pretending to be causes
  • Urgent things that don't matter
  • Problems framed by others for their benefit

Before solving, perceive correctly.

Systems Failure

Dreams pull engineering along. Engineering pushes expansion of dreams. When they decouple, systems break.

ImbalanceWhat HappensExample
Too much dreamCan't execute, endless promisesWeb3 vaporware, never ships
Too much engineeringEfficient at wrong thingsOptimizing extraction, not value
No anchorDrifting, no shared purposeInstitutions losing legitimacy

The three systems must remain in balance:

  • Belief (goodwill) — where we're going
  • Value (trust) — what grounds us
  • Control (willpower) — how we navigate

Coordination requires agreement on facts. When facts become contested, coordination becomes impossible.

Epistemic FailureResult
Lost institutional trustNo shared basis for action
Information warfareWeaponized uncertainty
Algorithm-curated realityPopulations living in different worlds
Expertise erosionNo one trusted to arbitrate

Truth is the meta-layer. When it fails, everything built on it fails.

Resources