Oddbean

I’m confused, what is the argument? Just the analogy as an illness? is there more to this I’m not aware of or am I missing something? (Would love to have a really solid argument to bring up when discussing socialism)

The idea is that the real argument against socialism is not economic, but in fact biological. It’s a disease, like a cancer. It’s dysgenic. It feeds on life and then when it runs out, it feeds on itself. It’s a vortex into a void. There’s just something in that idea, that transcends the economic argument

Yeah....but this doesn't really sound compelling or convincing. It sounds more like magic or mysticism. This is going to sound like name calling to socialists. Why couldn't they just turn around and claim that capitalism is also a sickness that drives men to lust for power and control. What causes the sickness? What is the cure? Is a cure even possible?

There is no cure to cancer. That’s the whole point. So you do what you can to avoid creating an environment for cancer. And if you get it, then your options are limited. Rare to heal. Often have to cut it out. Also - magic/mysticism/narrative are more useful than economics because we’re human. That’s why the left has won so much. They understood that, and they shaped culture. We fell asleep at the wheel thinking those things don’t matter. But they do. So we need to produce our own narratives. Stronger / better / more vital ones

The non-autist part of the population (the majority) operates on emotions and feelings, not rationality, logic and facts. Failing to "sell" one's ideas might not make them less valid, but certainly less impactful.