From Twitter: I’ve been thinking a lot about the question , on why we don’t build things anymore. But it’s not just about why we don’t build things. Why don’t we build institutions anymore? I’ve been thinking about why especially Mainline Protestant denominations don’t see interested in starting new churches. But from a sociological standpoint, churches help build social capital and can make a difference in society. We used to “build” civic organizations like churches, but we’ve stopped. Why? I think not building these places where people are formed and molded into citizens means you end up with mob rule and societies run by petty tyrants. I keep thinking that Trump is the example of someone that was never touched by any institution that could form him and teach him. There is an essay (maybe a podcast) here. I think the lack of builders in both the physical and organizational worlds is dangerous to our society and weakens our democracy.
We don't tend to build much in America anymore per Marc Andreeson's article at the start of the COVID pandemic.
Andreesson quote: "The problem is desire. We need to *want* these things. The problem is inertia. We need to want these things more than we want to prevent these things. The problem is regulatory capture. We need to want new companies to build these things, even if incumbents don’t like it, even if only to force the incumbents to build these things. And the problem is will. We need to build these things."
The move from innovation to efficiency is also a factor. From the National Review:
But in the 1970s, businesses turned their eyes from innovation to efficiency. As the post-war boom came to an end and American firms faced increased foreign competition (particularly from Japan), they resorted to cost-cutting and financial engineering in order to stay competitive. Though innovation and efficiency are not mutually exclusive, research and development — especially breakthrough, early-stage research — decreases profit margins in the short term.
How does this relate to the church?