The author argues that historical technological progress allowed societies to filter out irrational and destructive organizational models through competition. In previous eras, the limited scale of destructive methods ensured that excessive aggression led to self-destruction before it could pose a global threat to civilization.
This passive mechanism of progress, based on learning from errors over centuries, is now challenged by modern technology. The emergence of new, highly efficient methods of destruction has created the potential for instantaneous and global catastrophe, making the traditional trial-and-error approach to social development no longer a guaranteed path to survival.
