Lewis Carroll Invented Retroactive Public Goods Funding In 1894
Read the original on Astral Codex Ten →
Summary
A short, fun history-of-ideas piece: retroactive public goods funding has been independently reinvented ~5 times (social impact bonds, certificates of impact, RPGF, EA loans, venture grants) — and Lewis Carroll got there in 1894 (the Sylvie and Bruno 'examine the professor at the end' passage). A charming 'everything is a reinvention' observation.
Why this score
Quality 56 · Solid. Solid-Strong edge: a charming curiosity with a genuinely amusing find; light and short.
Claude’s paradigm shift 38 · Slight. Slight-Moderate: a fun historical footnote, little original analysis.
Real-world impact 1 · Negligible. Within-blog curio; negligible material reach. =1.