rational optimist(Ridley, Matt)

 1. Humans have collective intelligence.

The 'collective intelligence' I'm talking about contains exactly this meaning. As an individual, no one knows the entire process of manufacturing a computer mouse from start to finish. The worker who assembled the mouse at the factory doesn't know how to drill an oil well. (Plastic is made from petroleum.) Even the person who knows that doesn't know how to assemble a mouse.

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The collective intelligence that we talk about as the difference from other animals can be an example of the above.

No one knows the entire process of manufacturing all the products/foods/manufactured goods that we commonly use, such as smartphones, laptops, Bluetooth earphones, clothes, and food.

Each person faithfully fulfills their role in what they can and know, and a product is born.

Even if we don't know the details of how a product is made, if we have a currency that we have decided on among ourselves, we can enjoy all of these things.

For example, a simple cup of coffee includes coffee beans, a coffee maker, and a plastic cup.

Coffee beans are shipped to Korea from coffee farms in Ethiopia, Brazil, and other places through hundreds of thousands of hands, and then through middlemen to reach coffee shops.

Coffee machines are also made by several manufacturers, and the parts and technologies that go into the machines are products created by hundreds of thousands of manufacturers/partners, and coffee shops purchase them through the manufacturers’ sales companies.

Plastic cups are also mined from petroleum, which is the raw material, and are chemically processed to make plastic. The plastic is purchased by cup manufacturers, and the finished product is then sent to coffee shops.

In this way, each and every one of these things passes through hundreds of thousands of hands, and their labor and technology are used to reach the current consumers.

It is said that no animals have developed because they do not use this system, and I agree with this idea.

In addition, I think that these technologies would not have developed further if books and letters had not been created, because they would not have been passed down to future generations.

2. Don’t look at the world negatively.

You may think that you live in a suspicious and dishonest society. However, in reality, you are a beneficiary of enormous trust. Without trust, the exchange of small pieces of labor that make people live well would never have happened.

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There are many people who always think and talk negatively, such as the real estate bubble will burst, the stock market will crash, and there will be war.

In addition to this, there are many people who believe that the world will end, such as Malthus's population theory, Nostradamus's theory of destruction, and the theory of the destruction of the Mayan calendar.

They also say that there are various environmental problems, such as global warming, oil depletion, acid rain, and asteroid collisions.

However, humans have the ability to overcome hardships, and they can solve various problems through technological advancement, and they have solved them well so far.

And although life in Korea is said to be difficult, it has many conveniences, systems, and infrastructures that are well-established compared to other developing countries (Thailand, Vietnam, etc.).

It is also true that it is a better environment than other countries due to high security rates, public institution services, and fast processing.

If you reframe your thoughts, you can see new things. When a glass of water is half full, I think that the small difference in thinking, “There is only half the water left” and “There is half the water left,” can play a positive role in the direction of one’s life.

If you always look at it negatively, you will see more negative aspects, and if you look at it positively, you will see more positive aspects.

If you live life looking at it too negatively, it will become more and more difficult.

3. Paradox of the birth rate

Parents tend to have more babies when the risk of infant death is high.

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If you have a lot of income, you can afford to have more babies. However, your income may be used to buy more luxuries rather than babies.

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These days, it seems that many people say that they cannot have children because of the high housing prices or that they do not have children because of various economic factors.

However, the annual birth rate in Korea is as follows. The birth rate was 6 in 1960 → 4.5 in 1970 → 2.8 in 1980 → 1.5 in 1990 → 1.4 in 2000 → 1.2 in 2010 → 0.8 in 2020.

The infant mortality rate decreased dramatically from 82% in 1960 to 3.5% in 2010.

The per capita national income grew rapidly from $280 in 1970 to $33,040 in 2020.

In this way, the infant mortality rate decreased rapidly, and the per capita national income rate increased rapidly, but the birth rate is decreasing rapidly compared to economic growth.

This is also a common phenomenon in many developed countries.

Most countries with high birth rates are developing countries, and the OECD average birth rate is 1.5.

However, most developing countries have an average birth rate of more than 2.

Of course, the birth rate may be decreasing due to various other problems, not just this problem.

However, most developed countries have also seen their birth rates decrease rather than increase as they have become more prosperous, and our country has also seen its birth rate decrease rapidly as it has become much better off than before.

I think there is a clear correlation between these two.

4. What the country should do

It is true that Watt, Davy, Jenner, and Young were outstanding, but there were people like them in every era and every country. It is just that they were not given enough capital, freedom, education, culture, and opportunity to draw out their talents.

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The late Chairman Lee Kun-hee (Samsung) said, 'One talented person feeds 100,000 employees.' If you look closely at why countless talented people like Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk all appear in the US, you will see that the country has the capital, freedom, education, culture, and opportunities for them to thrive.

These people created great companies, shared their technologies with many people to benefit them, and provided jobs to many people.

There are many talented people in Korea and many other countries.

However, if you think carefully about why people go to Silicon Valley to succeed in IT, why most excellent universities are in the US, and why most famous companies are in the US, you will probably find the answer.

In order for Korea to grow further, it needs to be supported by a freer market economy and support, and I think that acts like hitting on corporations and the rich will ultimately have a great negative impact on national competitiveness.