This week is the May edition of Incentives & Instincts, a recurring series in which Justin speaks with economist and friend Bryce Ward about some of the broader challenges facing our society. Last month, Justin and Bryce explored why America seems to be so deadly, and this time they’re talking about Bryce’s “deaths of abundance” concept.

To do this, the two dive into a Plato allegory and look at the problems that come with creating abundance. Justin and Bryce talk about the tools people have for regulating emotions and desires, but the lack of infrastructure to support that, and the question of how to regulate ourselves as humans so that when we do make mistakes, we don’t beat ourselves up over it.

Transcript here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14OCHvlNBOrBtZ7SRIMsvG4cbHYGgd1wd4w9FlnQNsf0/edit

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