I think one of the most dangerous ways to think of the future is to assume that human nature is fundamentally good, peaceful and cooperative. And that the only reason there's evil, war and competitive behaviors is due to perverse incentives and corrupt institutions.

There's literally no reason to believe this is true. It's seductive to think it true, because then you can simply focus on fixing those incentives and tearing down corrupt institutions. But it's a false promise to think there's this tied-up box of goodness waiting to escape on the other side.

Some people think this is cynical. I just thinks it's realistic. There is no destination for us. There's only the journey.