Uncommon Knowledge

This week in corporate military power

Engelsberg Ideas looks at the preeminent role some tech companies like SpaceX, Amazon. Alphabet ?or Microsoft are playing, actively, in the war in Ukraine. Connectivity, cloud and cyberdefence are helping the country stay afloat.

This points to a complicated big picture. In many crucial areas for military operations, it's no longer governments or state-backed companies creating and supplying capabilities. Instead, private companies are taking the lead, and for them, governments and militaries are just one of many customers. New technologies are often designed for civilian markets, which means they may not be built with the durability or protections military use requires, like reinforced hardware or systems resistant to interference or sabotage. Additionally, these companies are increasingly global. Major American tech firms have large workforces and offices worldwide, often serving more customers abroad than at home. This raises questions about their connection to their home country—not necessarily in terms of loyalty, but in terms of democratic accountability. After all, CEOs and boards aren’t elected by citizens. Their duty is to their shareholders, and while their goals may sometimes align with those of governments, that alignment isn’t guaranteed.

Also from Engelsberg, there is a similar story at play in the spying profession, with intelligence gathering now also a private affair. As society has migrated to the internet, so have its secrets, and, therefore, so has intelligence.? Above ground, we place sensors and leave data footprints everywhere. The dark web is rife with criminal activity. ?Secret services are being outcompeted by providers of open-source intelligence and data companies.

This week in the market needs help

There’s a housing crisis under way in the US ?in case you haven’t noticed. Rent growth exceeds inflation, mortgage rates are through the roof, and so on and so forth. Part of this may be solved through zoning laws, but a bigger part of this is about addressing market power asymmetries, including growing evidence of price-fixing. All of which requires government intervention. Corporates should support this, but dominant ideologies and short-term interests mean they don’t always get the memo.

“Housing, like healthcare, telecommunications, and energy, may be an example of an industry in which corporations should support stronger public governance due to their own private interest. After all, since every worker needs to be housed, and employers ultimately foot much of the bill for housing their workforce through the wage bill, major employers can help push for policies to solve the housing crisis. Unfortunately, while some employers have?become?aware of their self-interest in solving the housing crisis, they have been slow to support public solutions to soaring housing costs. In this, they unfortunately follow in the footsteps of their 20th century predecessors. Indeed, it was not employers but New York City?garment unions?who in the 1920s pushed for legislation to enable them to build — with pooled worker funds and loans — the large-scale cooperative housing complexes for the industry’s labor force. These profit-capped co-operatives became the model for limited-equity housing co-ops that are a current staple of dense, stable, and vibrant New York City neighborhoods.”

So here’s our question: which modern institutions can solve the crisis, and who should fund them?

This week in the political brain

Researchers are exploring ?how the brain might influence political leanings. Some studies point to small differences, such as in the size of the amygdala – our fear response system, but there are no clear causalities or outcomes. Concludes the article: “Another mistake would be to equate intelligence with sensible values and opinions. “Looking back across history, we can see intelligent individuals have been attracted to all sorts of different and often contradictory ideas,” Edwards said. “Intellectuals have flirted with and been seduced by dangerous ideologies and tyrannical regimes. Many smart people have believed ideas that are downright stupid.”?

Bottom line: it's never too late to change your mind. Or never too soon. Either way, just keep questioning, ok?

This week in the good and bad about greed

Psyche weighs the good and bad about greed. Although the evidence is mixed, research shows that greedy people tend to earn more – for example they often work in higher earning professions. In evolutionary terms, greed might translate into a survival advantage, and so the trait might have been favored throughout evolution (whatever this says about late-stage capitalism.)

But greedy people also tend to report shorter romantic relationships, smaller families, lower life satisfaction and wellbeing (whatever THAT says about late-stage capitalism.)

This (climate) week in water

From the Guardian: the folks at the Potsdam Institute’s latest report shows the earth may have breached seven out of nine planetary boundaries – the latest potential victim being ocean acidification.

The New York Times reports that geo-engineers have thoughts on how to remove carbon from rivers and oceans, which of course would not be without consequences.

Bloomberg explains why extreme rainfall is becoming more frequent and deadly. In a nutshell: hotter air absorbs more humidity.

Also, for future reference, here’s a creative way to monetize your attendance at Climate Week. But it takes guts.?

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