Been down this thought path too.
1. Freedom (as most conceive it) is not a worthy maxim.
2. Human action (as Mises saw it) is always tempered with constraints, and one must economize action within those constraints, the most obvious being time. Therefore action can never be "free", as there is always a cost. I may not be free to do two things I want to do at the same time when I want to do them.
3. Action is always tempered by obligation and responsibility. Action is undertaken assuming a positive future state, and the risks of negative future states when considering responsibilities/obligations may make the action less desirable than other actions.
4. Freedom of thought is something we all have already, to a large degree, even if some may convince themselves otherwise.
Also reading Knuth's new book, which digs nicely into Praxeology. Without actually reading much Mises, Rothbard, etc, I had already come to many of the same basic concepts behind action (look back at my first nostr posts, I think I put some longer-form thoughts there on action.
Threading this a little further, similar to how artificial controls create the boom/bust market cycle, similar artificial controls (think government/religion) create the cycle you describe, I think.
If we are always thinking critically about our actions, and teaching future generations to do the same, extending time horizons, etc., then that boom/bust cycle could be muted or prevented, provided external controls on thought are minimal.
Just my thoughts. I think your cycle doesn't have to be a given.
Thanks for sharing! Thats a refreshing new perspective for me. I'll go ahead and put my black pill away.
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