Oddbean

To speak to your point nostr:nprofile1qqs8qy3p9qnnhhq847d7wujl5hztcr7pg6rxhmpc63pkphztcmxp3wgpzemhxue69uhkwun9v4h8xmm4dsh8xurpvdjj7qgswaehxw309ahx7um5wghx6mmd9uq35amnwvaz7tmwdaehgu3ww35x2umpd4jkxct59e5k7tckquc5r, its constraints everywhere. Just because the mouse dopamine button exists doesn't mean that it is always right. Meaning is collective at all scales, its not just about the individual. Our microbiome influences our mood, signals us through cravings of what to eat to help our gut biota continue to persist - biota that thrives on sugar will tell us to eat sugar but as a collective organism can choose against that and fix our diet, just as a society can put constraints on an individual who finds meaning from kicking puppies.

I wonder if one could make a biological case for natural law. The needs of biological systems impose constraints, these aggregate at various levels, and at the highest levels they become principles we ought to use to guide moral actions.

The key here is signaling+ communication across multiple scales; a sort of fractal communication that has a gradient of influence across the system. A "governmental system" with effective communication and signaling with those that occupy its domain should in principle be productive, but at the scale our societies exist, especially in large cities we just haven't found an effective way for this type of communication. They try to __govern__ and we just end up with one system imposing constraints on another without feedback based upon what one system values.

The principal of subsidiarity comes to mind. Concentrate power and decision-making at the lowest possible level. Then the authority with competence to solve a problem is also the one most in touch with the people and circumstances involved. This also addresses the communication problem, because it keeps the chains of communication short and the networks small in most cases. For larger issues, subsidiary agents can communicate to solve problems, creating a "network of networks." It seems to resemble the biological systems you write about.