Optimality , Revisited

I want to revisit my 2024 post, “Optimality“. The idea is that everyone is, in some sense, optimized for their roles. Additionally, the kinds of people who end up in certain roles are more or less what you’d expect based on a combination of attributes–physical appearance, temperament, intellect, attractiveness, and so on. Consider physiognomy. It’s uncanny how often people seem to “look” their roles. Pete Hegseth, for example, has the stereotypical square “Chad” face physiognomy that is befitting of being Secretary of Defense–a position culturally associated with masculinity. And indeed, he acts the part too, in a recent viral video purportedly bench pressing 315lbs. The same goes for Donald Trump, whose head also has a similar squarish appearance, especially when viewed from the side–again concomitant with his temperament and role. This becomes even more noticeable when you contrast Hegseth and Trump with “tech” figures like Mark Zuckerberg, Dario Amodei, or Sam Altman. It would be…