What would society be like if everyone followed Naval's philosophy?

Hey, that's an interesting and bold question. Naval Ravikant's ideas are like a "personal operating system upgrade package" for modern humans. If everyone installed this system, what would the world look like?

We can imagine several layers to this scenario—both positive aspects and potentially less desirable ones.

The Bright Side: An Era of Efficient, Abundant, and Tranquil "Individual Ascendancy"

Imagine if everyone embraced Naval’s principles. Society might exhibit these characteristics:

1. Economic Level: From "Fighting Over the Pie" to "Expanding the Pie"

Everyone as Creators and Entrepreneurs: Naval’s core is about "creating wealth," not "working for money." Most people would focus on leveraging their "Specific Knowledge" to create products or services. Office politics would decrease dramatically because everyone would be playing the long-term game of "creating value," not the short-term "zero-sum game."
"One-Person Companies" Blooming Everywhere: Leveraging tools like code and media, everyone could become an independent brand or company. Society's structure would resemble a vast network of countless small nodes (individuals or micro-teams) collaborating, rather than a few large corporations monopolizing everything. Work would become more flexible and project-based.
Redefining Competition: Naval says, "Escape competition through authenticity." If everyone pursued their unique selves, traditional cutthroat "rat-race" competition would vanish. You wouldn't compare salaries with others; instead, you'd focus on mastering your strengths to perfection, trusting the market to reward you accordingly.

2. Personal Development: Inner Abundance and Calm

Happiness as a Skill, Not a Pursuit: People would understand happiness stems from within, not from external possessions like luxury cars or mansions. Desires would be seen as "contracts you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get that thing." Consequently, individuals would focus more on managing desires, living in the present, and enjoying the process. Comparisons and jealousy would significantly decrease.
Lifelong Learning as a Habit: Reading, especially foundational subjects (math, science, philosophy), would become mainstream entertainment, much like scrolling through short videos today. People would use "Mental Models" for decision-making, leading to more rational and clear choices.
Health as the Top Priority: Naval emphasizes health as life's foundation. With widespread adoption of healthy eating, regular exercise, and sufficient sleep, overall societal health would improve drastically, easing the burden on healthcare systems.

3. Societal Level: Deep Connections Replace Shallow Interactions

Quality Over Quantity in Relationships: People would prefer to "play long-term games with long-term people." Superficial gatherings and pointless socializing would fade, replaced by deep relationships built on trust, shared values, and co-creation.
Culture of Extreme Accountability: "Accountability" is a cornerstone of Naval's philosophy. Everyone takes full responsibility for their words, actions, and choices. This would foster exceptionally high social trust, significantly reducing the costs of business partnerships and personal relationships.

In short, the bright side is: a society composed of countless unconventional, mentally abundant, physically healthy, and rationally thinking individuals. This society would brim with creativity, operate efficiently, and be filled with deep, trust-based cooperation between people.

The Darker Side: A Cold, Atomized "Hyper-Elite Society"

Everything comes with a cost. Universal adoption of Naval's philosophy could also bring serious societal problems:

1. Social Darwinism Amplified

Nowhere for the "Less Capable": Naval's philosophy strongly emphasizes individual ability, self-discipline, and rationality. What about those with innate limitations, mental or physical disabilities, or those simply choosing not to "grind"? In an "everyone-is-elite" society, they might be labeled "unmotivated" or "irrational" failures, pushed to the margins. Social safety nets could weaken, as the dominant narrative might assume "everyone should be responsible for themselves."
A Huge "Leverage Chasm": Those wielding "leverage" like code, media, or capital would see their wealth explode exponentially. Yet, those in roles difficult to leverage—like caregivers, cleaners, or servers—might see their incomes and status left far behind, leading to unprecedented wealth inequality.

2. Societal "Atomization" and Emotional "Desertification"

Erosion of Family and Community: Extreme individualism and independence could erode traditional family bonds and community ties. If everyone is a "self-sufficient nucleus," who cares for the elderly? Who raises children? Societal warmth and cohesion might vanish, replaced by a collection of isolated, disconnected "atoms."
The "Instrumentalization" of Emotion and Art: Naval's philosophy is profoundly rational, results-oriented, and efficiency-focused. In this atmosphere, things of "useless" beauty—like art existing purely for its own sake, aimless wandering, or kindness without expectation—might be dismissed as "inefficient." Society could become highly utilitarian, lacking humanistic warmth and romantic qualities.

3. A Society with Extremely Low Error Tolerance

One Misstep, Eternal Damnation? Naval stresses total accountability for reputation and actions. This is valuable, but without societal mechanisms for forgiveness and redemption, a single mistake or failure might brand someone as "untrustworthy" forever, barring paths to recovery. This could create an environment of immense pressure and pervasive fear.

Put simply, the dark side is: an extremely efficient yet intensely cold society. Relationships would feel more like business partnerships than family or neighborly bonds. Society could become a vast, high-functioning, yet potentially icy machine, lacking compassion for the vulnerable and appreciation for the "uselessly beautiful."

Conclusion

If everyone adopted Naval's principles, society would undergo a profound transformation.

It would likely resemble a turbocharged "Silicon Valley": brimming with innovation, opportunity, and personal freedom, yet also accompanied by intense competitive pressure, stark wealth inequality, and potential societal alienation.

Naval's philosophy is essentially an "elite survival guide" for the individual navigating the jungle of modernity. It's a powerful stimulant, igniting human potential to make you stronger, wealthier, and freer.

Applying it directly as an operating blueprint for an entire society, however, might overlook the complexity, diversity, and fragility of humanity. A healthy society needs both Naval-inspired elites to push boundaries, and compassionate systems and culture to safeguard those who move more slowly or even struggle to move at all.

So, the ultimate answer might be: Allow those who aspire to be "Naval" to become "Naval," while ensuring society retains ample space and warmth for those content to be "ordinary people."