I think that people tend to have a lot of misconceptions about the legal system (in the US, at least). For instance, many people think the US legal system is a good way to get justice when someone has committed a crime. In my experience, it's very hard to get the police to arrest someone who has committed a crime, unless the police showed up when the crime was actually in progress.
While certain laws are overenforced (e.g., some drug use-related crimes, minor traffic violations) and some ver...
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systemic problems
Soldier Altruists vs. Scout Altruists
There is an important division between people who want to improve the world that few seem to be aware of. Inspired by Julia Galef's new book (The Scout Mindset), I'll call this division: Soldier Altruists vs. Scout Altruists.
1. Soldier Altruists think it's obvious how to improve the world and that we just need to execute those obvious steps. They see the barriers to a better world as:
(i) not enough people taking action (e.g., due to ignorance, selfishness, or propaganda), and
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