The Benefits of Individualism in America

Two ideas: America has been described as a tension between two powerful ideas: equality and individualism.

Equally unequal: In America, there's equal opportunity to make yourself as unequal as you like.

Pendulum swings: Excessive individualism is unhealthy, and excessive collectivism is unhealthy, but it's inevitable that the pendulum swings back and forth from one to the other.

Always cyclical: Society can never get to where it's trying to go in a straight line; there will always be a cyclical nature to it.

Coming and going: Some people are afraid of the jobs that driverless cars and trucks will make obsolete, but they might not be thinking about the industries and activities that will come into existence as a result.

Faster internet: An entire industry can pop up on the internet in the time it takes to design a new car to get into production.

Negative freedom: If the expansion of your freedom diminishes someone else's freedom, then that's negative freedom.

Not global: We all essentially lead local lives, and our communication capabilities don't make us any more global.

Human intelligence: You can have all the computer power in the world, and you'll still have an intelligent human directing it.

Easier prediction: It's easier to predict what's not going to change than it is to predict what the future will be like decades into the future.