> Why is it wise to have a negative view of opportunities that present themselves?
Recognizing that luck plays a role in the outcome of opportunity isn't a negative view, only an acknowledgment of what can't be controlled alongside what can, much like the one that you made tacitly when you used the term "risk."
> It still works better than any other system.
If we're speaking in general terms about market democracies, I sure know I like living in one, and yes, people living in most of those (including the US) could stand to appreciate how some things are actually working relatively especially by historical standards.
On the other hand if we're speaking in specific terms about countries, there are others which get notably better metrics than the US on things like the economic freedom index, high net worth individuals per capita, life expectancy per health care dollar spent, or bankruptcies per capita, which indicates some pause about how strictly to regard "better than any other system" and further room for optimization that clearly has substantial positive impacts on quality & length of life elsewhere.
Recognizing that luck plays a role in the outcome of opportunity isn't a negative view, only an acknowledgment of what can't be controlled alongside what can, much like the one that you made tacitly when you used the term "risk."
> It still works better than any other system.
If we're speaking in general terms about market democracies, I sure know I like living in one, and yes, people living in most of those (including the US) could stand to appreciate how some things are actually working relatively especially by historical standards.
On the other hand if we're speaking in specific terms about countries, there are others which get notably better metrics than the US on things like the economic freedom index, high net worth individuals per capita, life expectancy per health care dollar spent, or bankruptcies per capita, which indicates some pause about how strictly to regard "better than any other system" and further room for optimization that clearly has substantial positive impacts on quality & length of life elsewhere.