On a Curved Manifold?
Here’s something curious about lawyers. Locally they fight negative-sum games — effectively, expending resources fighting over the division of a non-increasing good.
- lawyer 1: OK, I get x%
- lawyer 2: and I get 1−x %
- lawyer 1: Yes. Now, I vote that x be increased
- lawyer 2: But that would mean that my share, 1−x, would decrease
- lawyer 1: Exactly.
- lawyer 2: But…
- lawyer 1: Exactly.
Globally, however, the effect of lawyers is positive-sum. Without a justice system, grievances would not be heard, property rights would not be enforced, and the world would be worse off.
So … a space with locally negative curvature and globally positive curvature … hmm, how can that work?
