I think the idea is that we're in a local maximum for "how good is the current arrangement for society as a whole". Any small change to the arrangement is going to make things worse for one party or another, and probably even make things worse for society as a whole. But there's a chance that a bigger change could get us to an even higher maximum, where everyone is better off, both individually and on net.
It's hard because you can't just jump there, there will be some people or entities that are worse off during the transition. Also there are unintended consequences so things might not go as you expect.
Usually to (attempt to) make changes like this, it has to be a government doing it, because it's a coordination problem and you have to force people to look past their short-term self-interest for a little while.
It's hard because you can't just jump there, there will be some people or entities that are worse off during the transition. Also there are unintended consequences so things might not go as you expect.
Usually to (attempt to) make changes like this, it has to be a government doing it, because it's a coordination problem and you have to force people to look past their short-term self-interest for a little while.