Book Description
In this powerful and provocative manifesto, Bill McKibben offers the biggest challenge in a generation to the prevailing view of our economy. For the first time in human history, he observes, more is no longer synonymous with better -- indeed, for many of us, they have become almost opposites. McKibben puts forward a new way to think about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use, and the money that pays for it all. Our purchases, he says, need not be at odds with the things we truly value. McKibbens animating idea is that we need to move beyond growth as the paramount economic ideal and pursue prosperity in a more local direction, with cities, suburbs, and regions producing more of their own food, generating more of their own energy, and even creating more of their own culture and entertainment. He shows this concept blossoming around the world with striking results, from the burgeoning economies of India and China to the more mature societies of Europe and New England. For those who worry about environmental threats, he offers a route out of the worst of those problems; for those who wonder if there isnt something more to life than buying, he provides the insight to think about ones life as an individual and as a member of a larger community. McKibben offers a realistic, if challenging, scenario for a hopeful future. As he so eloquently shows, the more we nurture the essential humanity of our economy, the more we will recapture our own.
Customer Reviews:
Ok, How did Communities get their wealth?.......2007-10-08
I read Deep Economy with an open mind, however, I found it to be riddled with particular political emphasis rather than real data about economics. In short, the ideas advanced are communal farming, environmentalism through global warming mandates, and outright communism.
These are not tools for the advancement of society, as McKibben suggests, but a return to the comfort of the Dark Ages.
I was very disappointed in the content of the book, being lectured for the first 36 pages on the same uncredited drivel that Al Gore had preached about in his tour on global warming, the very irony of which, wherever Al Gore went, it snowed.
In later chapters, McKibben actually comes out as a liberal by advocating what he believes is the solution for all the societal 'chaos' going on - state socialism.
Truly this book would have been better written if it had been left blank.
If You Care for the Earth.......2007-09-29
This book is a must for anyone who wants to make a change to save the earth. The author has insight and experience about how our present course of living will lead to the destruction of the world as we know it. It's real, but there is hope and Mr McKibben shares that hope with the reader.
Useful Inefficiencies.......2007-08-29
McKibben is one of our best modern thinkers on environmentalism and conservation, ever since debuting with his classic "The End of Nature" in 1989. In this new book he has largely tackled mainstream economic theory and how it has inflicted worldwide damage on the environment and on human communities. Standard development economics suffers from an unyielding focus on efficiencies and consumption, but this more often than not leads to widespread damage and unhappiness. Planners and politicians focus obsessively on per capita utility and efficiency, and vehemently disdain anything that may reduce efficiency for some individuals but may very well improve communities and the planet. McKibben's great contribution here is his coverage of new studies of human happiness. Especially in America, we have passed the point of gaining any more happiness from increased consumption of things, and we have become largely unhappy over the ensuing loss of community and nature. A new worldwide understanding of how economics really works has become imperative - more is no longer better.
McKibben has located many useful examples around the world of communities practicing new sustainable development strategies with demonstrated benefits for all involved. Unfortunately, the areas in which such great things are happening have particular political and economic conditions that make such experiments beneficial (including the American location McKibben covers most often - politically distinctive rural Vermont). The underlying flaw in this book is that McKibben must resort to pretty wishful idealism when applying these local success stories to the world economic system. A related problem is that the second half of the book, where the rubber should be meeting the road in realistically applying the local to the global, largely degenerates into repetitive descriptions of benefits in lieu of real prescriptions for change. However, McKibben definitely deserves credit for explaining in an accessible way all the tragic flaws of mainstream economic theory (see the books and articles he cites for the real lowdown), and it's about time us regular folks resisted the power players - for the benefit of ourselves and our larger community. [~doomsdayer520~]
Turbines and Prayer Wheels.......2007-08-06
This is a wonderful book that swings your emotions from despair to joy and back. I marveled over the story of the village of Gorasin in Bangladesh where the people said no to pesticides after living with their devastating effects and the village has become an organic oases. That is the theme of the book, communities with members from near or far working together to make lives better.
McKibben mentions Heifer International, one of my favorite organizations, and their impact on one man in China with the donation of 48 rabbits and lots of technical advice and the wave of change in his community because of his successful rabbit enterprise.
A group called Future Generations trained some villagers in Tibet and the villagers devised and installed a system that carried water "through a series of split-bamboo pipes, and then through a turbine that used the dynamo from a junked car. A hydrology expert could have helped them build a more efficient system, but all the locals knew how to repair this setup."".....(Also, the hydrology expert might not have thought to use the water pouring out of the turbine to spin a prayer wheel.)"
World community - helping local people meld the old and the new.
But, McKibben asserts, it is time for the haves of the world to share more than knowledge, it is time to cut back on what we use. "Most obviously, if the rich world began making less extreme demands on the planet, poor countries would have more physical margin to work with - a little slack. ...If we Americans can use less coal and gas and oil, we'll in effect free some of the atmosphere to absorb the carbon that the poor world must emit to meet basic needs."
There is so much more in this book to ponder and act on, put it high on your reading list.
Quite a scary future.......2007-07-23
Wow, makes me want to move to Vermont and become an organic farmer. I found this book to bring up some very good points about our current unsustainable economic situation. Over the past 300 years we have created an economic "machine" based on efficiency and production that will be very hard to change intentionally. McKibben offers some ideas on what the new New Deal will need to be if we want to continue a sustainable economy, which includes taking everything back to a local scale. Food, work, consumer goods need to develop inside the community where one lives. Less efficiency, more community and "neighborliness". It's a great idea. I just wonder if people will choose this before the collapse of our current system or try to figure something out after it's too late. I pesimistically think the latter.
Book Description
"An inspired, utterly fascinating book….A book for everyone who would like to make the world a better place."—Jane Goodall
This unique and fundamentally liberating book shows us that examining our attitudes toward money—earning it, spending it, and giving it away—can offer surprising insight into our lives, our values, and the essence of prosperity.
Lynne Twist, a global activist and fundraiser, has raised more than $150 million for charitable causes. Through personal stories and practical advice, she demonstrates how we can replace feelings of scarcity, guilt, and burden with experiences of sufficiency, freedom, and purpose. In this Nautilus Award-winning book, Twist shares from her own life, a journey illuminated by remarkable encounters with the richest and poorest, from the famous (Mother Teresa and the Dalai Lama) to the anonymous but unforgettable heroes of everyday life.
Customer Reviews:
Powerful! Very inspiring! .......2007-01-31
A whole new way to look not just at money, but at life itself! Worth reading over and over again!
Read this book.......2007-01-24
Well worth the effort in trying to get this book - a very forward thinker and ideas are articulated well. The world needs more thinking like this.
HAVE MORE, GIVE MORE MONEY - read this to find out how!.......2006-10-10
It one delightful, entertaining and meaningful book, Lynne Twist explains how to lead an abundant life that benefits you, your family AND the world. I read the hardcover edition more than three years and am still benefitting from it today. If this book were required reading, the world would be a place that works for everyone.
Average customer rating:
- Has history been tampered with?
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
|
History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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Similar Items:
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History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
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History: Fiction or Science? Astronomical methods as applied to chronology. Ptolemy's Almagest. Chronology III
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Discovering the Mysteries of Ancient America: Lost History And Legends, Unearthed And Explored
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They Cast No Shadows: A Collection of Essays on the Illuminati, Revisionist History, and Suppressed Technologies
ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Has history been tampered with?.......2007-10-23
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RAZQNMXM4M9CL Has history been tampered with? Yes, it has! Did events and eras such as the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Roman Empire , the Dark Ages, and the Renaissance, actually occur within a very different chronology from what we've been told? Yes, they certainly did!
The history of humankind is both drastically shorter and dramatically different than generally presumed.
Why is it so? On one hand, it was usual custom to justify the claims to title and land by age and ancestry, and on the other the court historians knew only too well how to please their masters. The so called universal classic world history is a pack of intricate lies for all events prior to the 16th century. World history as we learn it today was entirely fabricated in the 16th-18th centuries. It's likely that nobody told you before, but
there is not a single piece of firm written evidence or artefact that is reliably and independently dated prior to the 11th century.
Naturally, after what you've learned in school and university, you will not easily believe that the classical history of ancient Rome, Greece, Asia, Egypt, China, Japan, India, etc., is manifestly false.
You will point accusing finger to the pyramids in Egypt, to the Coliseum in Rome and Great Wall of China etc., and claim, aren't they really ancient, thousands of years ancient? Well, there is no valid scientific proof that they are older than 1000 years!
The oldest original written document that can be reliably dated belongs to the 11th century!
New research asserts that Homo sapiens invented writing (including hieroglyphics) only 1000 years ago. Once invented, writing skills were immediately and irreversibly put to the use of ruling powers and science.
The consensual chronology we live with was essentially crafted in the 16th century by the Jesuits.
The world history was compiled from contradictory mix of innumerable copies of ancient Latin and Greek manuscripts and other irrefutable proofs delivered by late mediaeval astronomers that were cemented by the authority of writings of the Church Fathers.
Early in life, we learn about ancient history. Children love the magical lessons of history - they are like fairy tales. Teachers recite breathtaking stories; very soon We learn by heart the names and deeds of brave warriors, wise philosophers, fabulous pharaohs, cunning high priests and greedy scribes.
We learn of gigantic pyramids and sinister castles, kings and queens, dukes and barons, powerful heroes and beautiful ladies, emaciated saints and low-life traitors.
Ancient history is based documents, manuscripts, printed books, paintings, monuments and artefacts - called primary sources.
The problem is that neither these ancient documents, nor events described therein can be irrefutably dated, moreover they contradict each other for the most part.
When a school textbook tells us that Genghis Khan in year X or Alexander in year Y, have each conquered half of the world, it means only that it is so said in some of the written sources.
There are no answers to simple questions:
When were these primary sources written?
Where and by whom were these sources found?
It is wrongly presumed that ancient and medieval chronicles, written by Genghis Khan's or Alexander the Great contemporaries and eyewitnesses, are readily available. Actually, only sources written hundreds or even thousands of years after the events are there, compiled mostly in the 16th 18th centuries, or even later.
As a rule, these sources suffered considerable multiple manipulations, falsifications and distortions by editing. At the same time,
innumerable originals of ancient documents under various pretexts were destroyed in Europe under various pretexts.
The names of persons and geographical sites often changed meaning and location during the course of the centuries.
Geographical locations became clearly defined on maps only with the advent of printing.
This made possible the circulation of identical copies of the same map for purposes of the military, navigation, education and governance tasks.
Historians from Oxford say: "hey, everybody knows that Julius Caesar lived in the first century B.C.
`Julius Caesar' statement is only a point of view as
there is simply no irrefutable documentary proof that Julius Caesar or any other great name of antiquity ever existed.
Better than that - extremely rare sources that can be reliably dated back to the 10th-14th centuries A D, do not show the polished picture of classical history.
They show a picture both contradictory and confusing.
All methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts are erroneous:
Radio-carbon C14 method produces dating with exactitude of plus minus 1500 years, therefore it is too crude for dating of events in historical timeframe!
The Almagest tractate, which lies as corner stone contemporary chronology, compiled in the 2nd century A D by Ptolemy, the founding father of astronomy, contains astronomical data of 9th to 16th century!
The Bronze Age,that has supposedly began 5000 years ago. Bronze is made of 90% copper and 10% tin, but the technology for tin extraction dates back to 14th century A D!.
All eclipses contained in manuscripts, like Thucydides one, relating 'ancient' events have exclusively medieval dating. All horoscopes cut in stone or painted in Egyptian temples, like Dendera have exclusively early medieval dating solutions.
Not quite what you have learned in school? Open your eyes, and, you will find sufficient proof to reach step by step the inevitable conclusion that the classical chronology is false and therefore, that the history of ancient and medieval world universally accepted today, is also false. Have a fresh outlook on everything said or printed about "ancient" and "enigmatic" Roman, Greek and Egyptian, medieval as well as all other "lost and found" civilizations.
Antiquity and Dark Ages are phantoms invented in the 16th 18th and polished in 19th 20thcenturies. Human civilization is in fact barely 1000 years old!
This book will change your perception of History forever!
What if Ancient Rome, Greece and Egypt were invented during Renaissance?
What if The Old Testament was a rendition of events of the Middle Ages?
What if Jesus Christ was born in 1053 and crucified in 1086 AD?
Sounds Unbelievable?
Not after you've read "History: Fiction or Science?" by Anatoly Fomenko, the genius mathematician.
Armed with astronomy and computers Anatoly Fomenko turns History into a rocket science.
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
Average customer rating:
- AS ALWAYS OF DR CHOPRA, THIS BOOK WILL INSPIRE YOU!
- Simple - for reading and re-reading.
- Become a Master of ALL Possibilities
- Save your money !.. Read some Physics books instead
- The Secret to Affluence
|
Creating Affluence: The A-to-Z Steps to a Richer Life (Chopra, Deepak)
Deepak Chopra
Manufacturer: New World Library and Amber-Allen Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1878424343 |
Book Description
In this remarkable book lies the secret to creating affluence. Here you will discover that you are the dancer and the dance, the creator and the creation, and unlimited wealth is yours merely for the asking. With clear and simple wisdom, Deepak Chopra explores the full meaning of wealth consciousness and presents a step-by-step plan for creating affluence and fulfillment on all levels of our lives.
According to the author, affluence is our natural state, and the entire physical universe with all its abundance is the offspring of an unbounded, limitless field of all possibilities. Through a series of simple steps and everyday actions, Creating Affluence gently fosters the wealth consciousness needed to tap into this field and create anything you desire.
Customer Reviews:
AS ALWAYS OF DR CHOPRA, THIS BOOK WILL INSPIRE YOU!.......2007-07-05
This is a wonderful book and audio book. I love to listen to it before retiring at night or while driving or walking. This book gives you direction and an A-Z map on how to have abundance and an happier and simpler life. I have found that it is great advice and it works if you apply the advice. It is a type of audio book that can be played over and over again as needed.
Simple - for reading and re-reading........2007-01-08
Some reviewers complain about the simplicity and
brevity of this book. I think that is a part of
its beauty... and definitely within the intent
of the author.
I think we can all agree that the author, Deepak
Chopra, knows personally the meaning and experience
of creating affluence. That is the main reason I
picked up the book. I would LOVE to experience a lifestyle
similar to his, wouldn't you?
Yes, the book is simple - it is brief - and it is
meant to be read and reviewed five pages a time
every day in order to soak it all in.
The reader receives a road-map to follow and
integrate.
There are lengthier books to read - and if you
want that, check them out instead. If you
want something practical and quick with
Deepak Chopra's distinctive voice - this is the
book for you to own and keep taking off your
shelf to use over and over and over.
Become a Master of ALL Possibilities.......2006-06-20
Dr Chopra details a highly readable and easy to follow "map" of creating affluence in every area of our lives. He claims that reading the entire book once through, then subsequently reading 5 pages daily will, if adopted as a lifelong habit... attract wealth!
I suppose any positive habit, if practiced daily, will attract the object of your desire, which is, of course, is precisely the idea.
But, why do we need his or anyone's book to remind us of this tried and true fact?
In my case, I seem to require the reminder to keep my eyes, ears, heart and mind set on the desired goal, rather than focused on the "reality" that IT hasn't shown up yet. Which is so easy to do, isn't it?
Dr Chopra explains how we must live in harmony with what we want for the best, fastest result. This might mean simplifying your life, reducing chaos, resolving unhealthy relationships and minimizing stress.
Yes, easy for him to say... he meditates a million hours a week, no doubt, and probably began before leaving the womb!
I respect him immensely, and wheras I do not buy everything he has written, I do have a few of his books and this one has been particularly beneficial.
I use this book each morning (reading only a tiny section) in conjunction with Wayne Dyer's Meditation for Manifesting CD - the AH & OOHM (sound) meditation. I have discovered using the 2 together is working wonders.
AND, yes... I am manifesting my heart's desire. No, not overnight, like everything in life, practice makes perfect!
Pie Dumas
Author & Life Coach
Save your money !.. Read some Physics books instead .......2005-03-04
This tape is really waste of money. I liked some tapes from Chopra but here he is loosing total focus about what he is talking about.
Deepak chopra must by using some Webster dictionary as he uses ( tries too ) too difficult words which not everyone can understand !
Well, about affluence here ?. Am I listening to some metaphysics session ?. TOTALLY OUT OF FOCUS Sir !
Don't waste your money and ask for refund. Totally out of focus and waste of money.
I hope someone understands about what he is talking about. I wish I could have returned this. Anyway this is my last tape from Deepak chopra.
I would recommend Catherine Ponder's books instead.
The Secret to Affluence.......2004-10-25
This is it, the book that you have been looking for. If you have ever sought the true secret to experiencing affluence in your life, you will find it in the pages of this book. Don't be fooled by any of the Chopra detractors, this book is even greater then you can imagine. Read and reread this book and unleash your creative potential.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
In As the Future Catches You, Juan Enriquez of the Harvard Business School attempts to capture the trajectory of technological progress and understand the forces shaping our social and economic futures. Enriquez argues that February 2, 2001--the date that anyone with Internet access could contemplate the entire human genome--is akin to 1492 and Columbus's discovery of America. Instead of a new continent however, Enriquez sees the alphabet of DNA (A, adenine; T, thymine; C, cytosine; and G, guanine) and predicts that it will be the "dominant language and economic driver of this century." While none of the ideas presented here are entirely new, As the Future Catches You stands out because of Enriquez's ability to view and connect trends--genomics in particular--in a way that just about anyone can understand. Eye-popping typography and graphics coupled with a compact and almost poetic writing style make this thought-provoking book one to savor. Highly recommended. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
If you think the world has changed dramatically in the last five years, you haven’t seen anything yet.
You will never look at the world in the same way after reading As the Future Catches You. Juan Enriquez puts you face to face with unprecedented political, ethical, economic, and financial issues, dramatically demonstrating the cascading impact of the genetic, digital, and knowledge revolutions on all our lives.
Genetics will be the dominant language of this century. Those who can “speak it” will acquire direct and deliberate control over all forms of life. But most countries and individuals remain illiterate in what is rapidly becoming the greatest single driver of the global economy. The choice is simple: Either learn to surf new and powerful waves of change—or get crushed trying to stop them. The future is catching us all. Let it catch you with your eyes wide open.
Customer Reviews:
Plainly bad..........2007-09-18
I am actually amazed to realize that this book has received so many positive reviews. It is pitiable from start to end. You could perhaps excuse Henriquez' poor writting style if only the content of the book had been something to cheer for. However this is not the case. Unfortunately Henriquez' argument for how genomics will shape the future of all things, is substantiated by oversimplifications and misconceptions generated by an evident lack of scientific knowledge on the author's behalf, or alternatively, a deliberate attempt to impress the unaware reader with overambitious and melodramatic factoids.
... but let us just analyse some of the statements in say, for instance, the
"MOSQUITOES" section, right among the starting pages:
"Mosquitoes
are flying hypodermic needles.
They can infect you with malaria, dengue, and other
awful things" Well... up to here everything is sort of correct - except for the fact that mosquitoes are nothing like hypodermic needles, but that mosquito's feeding apparatus, for instance, is an extremely complicated structure, quite unlike a single syringe, but hey... what do I know? - ... still, let us excuse the imprecision and awful writing style and read a bit more:
"They do so by transferring a little bit of genetic code
through their saliva..." Really? How does that happen then? Because, during the twelve years I have been studying the genetics of tropical diseases, I never heard of a publication where this has been shown... I had the idea that it was the entire microorganism (virus, parasite, bacteria, etc...) that was inoculated and then caused an infection, but apparently it is just a portion of its genetic code... or he is referring to the mosquito's genes? Help me, I'm confused...
"Into your bloodstream..."
"Which then reprograms part of the way your cells operate... "
"By changing your genetic code ever so slightly..." Oooohhhh, I'm scared...
"In ways that can make you very sick." Now, that's what I call an engaging writing style...
Unfortunately, it goes on and on for over two hundred pages...
The Optimistic Jew.......2007-08-31
Ostensibly a pronouncement about the extraordinary impact that genetics is about to make on human civilization I found his comments and supporting data on knowledge societies versus commodity societies most enlightening. You live in a country without natural resources? LUCKY YOU! You have a much better chance to live in a democratic country with constitutional protections of individual rights. Countries devoid of natural wealth must invest in their human capital. In the knowledge economy this is more likely to create wealth. Small countries with few natural resources have the highest per capita median incomes in the world. If you live in a resource rich country you are more likely to be ruled by thugs or clowns who enrich themselves by enabling large companies with know-how and technology to extract the resource. They have no need to invest in their human capital. Poverty is the result. Enriquez marshals impressive data to support this claim. My optimism about the future possibilities of the Jewish people and Israel (in my own book "The Optimistic Jew") stems to great degree from Enriquez's book. His observation that now lone individuals and single zip codes can create greater wealth than entire countries enabled me to envisage Israel becoming the richest country in the world in per capita, median income by 2030.
Extraordinarily provocative!.......2007-03-08
This book will make you think...a "must read" to understand what is going on in our increasingly science-driven world.
Information a bit dated........2007-02-11
The information in this book is a bit dated.
The author mostly ignores the stocking market tech-bubble crash, simply referring to it as the "Nasdaq Adjustment". A great deal of companies and employees were "adjusted" out of existance.
Back to the Future.......2006-10-01
This book is a blend of intresting observations and speculation on various hot technologies (gnemoics in particular) and it's likely impact on people and countries. It is an intresting book and can be easily followed by anybody (even without any intrest or knowledge of the subject). The page layout (with large typeface and fonts) may seem condescending to some of the serious readers, but i think it works in this case, since the book isn't verbose and the author packs thought and info in small sentences, which provokes one to pause and reflect. For eg: sample this: "there used to be one way of getting pregnant.. Now there are more than Seventeen" OR " A seed is an instruument designed to execute a genetic program that transforms soil, water and sun into Wood, Flower.. Fruit"
You need not know anything about Gneomics, Computers, Biology sciences or the various other technologies which this books quotes, to enjoy this book. It's pretty sweeping in scope and you need not necessarily agree with all that the author says about his versiion of the future (i did not). But, one can certainly give full marks to the author for making serious sciences entertaining, by sharing his thoughts on how it is/may impacting our lives.
The challenge and pitfalls in speculating about the future is ironically seen here - This book was written in 2001 and as such the author makes a glowing reference to the AOL-Timewarner merger (which later turned out into a disaster!); India and China are lumped as "having few resources, capital and respect for entrepreneurs", whereas the outsourcing boom in the last five years has clearly proved this wrong.
Not everyone will agree with the author's touting of Gene food (btw, this is not a default food in Europe) or the 'small population' advantage. Patents is relatively a western phenomenon, so comparing the number of patents of US to China or India seems out of place. Couple of chapters venture into politics of why many countries broke apart in the last fifty years and the treatment of it may seen one-dimensional. Afterall, the things that defines a nation is something more complex than what the author seems to define.
There is lot of great Links/references in the Appendix of the book for anybody intrested in exploring further on this topics.
Irrespective of what one's throughts are on the opinions and coverage in this book, i think this is a book which gives value for the time and money spend. It is thought provoking.
I would recommend it to all.
Customer Reviews:
Is it economics and morals? (Pat Padley's review).......2004-05-02
Even though I have had to read this book for an Economic class, I actually got something out of it. From what I understand this has become an aditional way of learning about supply side economics, which is still very confusing. I have also read many of the other reviews and I agree that this could very well become a bible for Reaganomics. I guess the one question I would ask is if George Gilder also took an Adam Smith view to some things. It seemed like he kept focusing on the individual view point of things. The way he proposed ideas is that it sounded like he wanted us to look over not just the mathematics, but the whole human spectrum. This includes faith, history, technology, etc.
This book actually suprised me. I really didn't think I would enjoy it at all. Even though I was forced to read it for Econ, I'm glad I got to read this book. Gilder's as if moral views kept me interested.
To one-sided ...........2004-03-25
whose review is below. I cant believe that this reviewer believes that corporate "welfare" disproves the thesis of this book. How moronic can one be? The difference dear child is that corporations still are in business and trying to produce a profit. An individual on welfare does nothing to earn an income, or very little at most. Thus the incintive not to work. Corporate welfare is just as incidious in my book, but at least the corporation is trying to profit from as many revenue centers as it can.
I was so much older then I'm younger than that now.......2001-08-10
This book which most of us, who read books like this, read 20 years ago should be reread again today. The prescience and accuracy of its viewpoints are worth prolonged cogitation for members on either side of the aisle. Perhaps it could be recommended reading along with the cliff notes of Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations"? Okay, at least for Graduate students in the social sciences?
Gilder points out that we have been misled by popular economics as it relates to how we increase wealth and curtail poverty. He then introduces the concept of Supply-Side Economics to the general reader. He fulminates about how misguided policy has undermined the true source of wealth that is to be found in such nonmaterial forces as creativity, technological adventure, and the motivation to strike out for new territory in economic enterprise. He talks about how the blunting of incentives and the efforts to redistribute the wealth, in a just fashion, only serve to keep the poor in poverty. He contrasts this with his description of the true capitalist as one who invests energy and money today for a return he may or may not receive in the future. Is this not the model for describing the difference between children and adults? Is it not a model for delayed gratification one which most of the world eschews? They instead opt for a metaphorical traffic jam at the waterhole of natural resources with the alpha chimp and his cohorts ripping off the biggest piece.
When Gilder talks about the LEFT getting it exactly backwards it reminds me of what Balint Vazsonyi writes about in his book "America's 30 Years War: Who's winning?" He says, "contrary to the prevailing (classic Marxist-Leninist) thinking that economic conditions provide the foundations and everything else is "superstructure", the truth is the other way around. Our spectacular economic success is the result of a unique legal-moral foundation upon which a successful political system has been built".
To show how deep the roots of misguided economic thinking go consider that even Christianity is built on a communistic notion of sharing, and an abhorrence for profit that is seemingly earned on the backs of the laborers. This results in men of the cloth, all to often economically illiterate ones, preaching the wrong formulae to the poor. Basically, "you're poor because they're rich". This Liberation theology is echoed in Marx's backward reading of human nature and the economic consequences of risk and reward. Gilder sets us straight.
Amazing isn't it? We still have academics teaching this LEFT-wing nonsense in respected universities across America while their acolytes storm the barriers in Seattle, Washington, Genoa, etc; all in an attempt to wipe out a system that has brought greater wealth to more people than any other in human history, something even Marx himself acknowledged.
Too me, it's about a pursuit of power and money at the top that is coupled with a reliance that those further down the pyramid of man will continue to engage in blocking and denial. Thus the proles can act as enablers of the "Priests" of the LEFT, those who commit the worst sorts of human crimes (see "the Black Book of Communism"), their zeal inversely proportionate to the laws of unintended consequence which they continue to violate with reckless abandon.
Perhaps a futuristic pill will be uncovered that will allay the LEFT's fevered assessment of mankind's ills and grant them the ability to reason while providing them with much needed relief from their pervasive envy. Read this book along with Myron Magnet's "the Dream and the Nightmare" to get a feel for the intellectual firmament of the Bush II administration, and pray for another cable network.
Excellent in all ways but ..........2001-02-11
When I was a young woman, just starting out, I read this book. I learned much about the nature of wealth and the role that government policy has in creating and diminishing wealth for all ("Tax something, you get less of it, subsidize something, you get more of it"). Time and opportunity costs are also considered in this first-rate, eminently readable primer on macroeconomics. Finally, his message to minorities who have been injured by past discrimination -- which is basically, "Get over it!" -- is probably the most useful, however unsympathetic (who needs sympathy -- we want wealth, right?) However, I was and am disappointed in Gilder's treatment of women. He should read Ayn Rand. As a woman and a technician, I don't see possessing the same no-excuses, ability-driven love of achievement as unfeminine. Nor is my schoolteacher-husband's gentleness and quiet intuition unmasculine. We are FREE to do and be what we want! What I see in Gilder is a whining demand that women stop putting so much competitive pressure on men so that they can feed their egos at our expense. What would he say to a (male) CEO who demanded his corporate competition give him a "break?" Doesn't he get the basic fact that a free market must be free for all, or it is not really free? Stick to free-market economics, George!
One of the most influencial books of the Reagan era........2000-11-12
At some point in the last 15 years, the meaning of three key terms changed: "need" now means wanting someone else's money; "greed" means wanting to keep your own; and "compassion" is when a politician wants to arrange the transfer. You're actually accused of "lacking compassion" if you object to this kind of redistribution. According to George Gilder's marvelous "Wealth and Poverty," this so-called "compassion" is nothing but a very misleading, pious moral high ground.
One of the chief critiques of capitalism over the years by socialists, liberals, clergymen, and--most notably--the poor has not been of its practical achievements, but rather the perception of its moral character. Most of them have got the idea that the source of wealth comes from sinful, anti-Judeo-Christian avarice. Wealth, they often assert, comes from "taking," and therefore the way to combat poverty is to "take" it back and redistribute it. But as Gilder explains, the essence of capitalism is "giving."
Capitalists "give" of themselves without a predetermined return. That is to say, they make investments without a predetermined return; and a gift is not something given necessarily without any return. It's perfectly consistent with the Bible, in which you often gave alms in the hope of some form of return; perhaps a blessing. It's risking your life to create comething without any assurance of return. (Liberals confuse this with gambling, which is a zero-sum game. That's why it's not "risking." Capitalists are giving of "themselves" without a predetermined return. Not just putting down some money and making no effort and having no moral engagement in the activities they're pursuing. That's the difference between gambling and capitalism.)
Also, the mechanism of the market neutralizes greed because selfish individuals are forced to find ways of servicing the needs of those with whom they wish to exchange. It's true that various people often approach economic exchanges with motives that fall short of the Biblical ideal Gilder discusses here. But no matter how selfish a person's motives may be, as long as the rights of the other parties are protected, the greed of the first individual cannot harm them. As long as greedy individuals are prohibited from introducing force, fraud, and theft into the exchange process, their greed must be channeled into the discovery of products or services for which people are willing to exchange their holdings. Every person in a market economy has to be other-directed.
Unlike socialism, capitalism recognizes several necessary conditions for the kinds of voluntary relationships it recommends. One of these conditions is the existence of inherent human rights, such as the right to make decisions, the right to be free, the right to hold property, and the right to exchange what one owns for something else. And, believe it or not, capitalism also presupposes a system of morality. Capitalism should be thought of as a system of voluntary relationships within a framework of laws which protect people's rights against force, fraud, theft, and violations of contracts. "Thou shalt not steal" and "Thou shalt not lie" are part of the underlying moral constraints of the system. Economic exchanges can hardly be voluntary if one participant is coerced, deceived, defrauded, or robbed. This should be obvious to most people living in America today.
Gilder also explains how capitalism is consistent with the Biblical view of human nature in another way: it recognizes the weaknesses of human nature and the limitations of human knowledge. No one can possibly know enough to manage a complex economy. No one should ever be trusted with this power. However, in order for socialism to work, socialism requires a class of omniscient planners to forecast the future, to set prices and control production. This is what stagnates enterprise in socialist economies. And it's also a good way for an individual to lose their political freedom as well. For what is to be produced does not depend on the demands of consumers, but on the independent decisions of government planners; production, therefore, is more likely to serve the purposes of planners, of the state, than those of a consumer. That's a freedom you sacrifice under socialism. And as the sole producer and employer, the socialist state finds it easy to restrict political freedom that could be used to replace centralized powers. Eventually, you have Noam Chomsky popping up on the Killing Fields trying to tell you that "it's not that bad."
Gilder's frank assessment of how the welfare state has driven husbands from the home--especially black homes--by aiding single mothers is disturbing. The average total relief package for a single mother with three children is more than $19,000 a year--tax free. By comparison, a traditional two-parent family of four with a higher income of say, $22,500, has only about $18,000 left after taxes. Poor women might be poor, but they're not stupid. Niether are poor young men, many of whom quickly realize that by their own efforts and means they are unable to provide as well for their families as Uncle Sam. Too many mothers decide not to marry the fathers of their children; they marry welfare instead. As we enter the 21st century, 70% of black children are born into fatherless homes.
So, in effect, the modern state continually releases us from our duties to our next of kin--our familial duties--at the same time it increases our duties to total strangers, whose lives we wreck when we provide for them (with a little coercion from Uncle Sam, of course) government assistance. Even now as we approach the year 2001, we keep hearing collectivists saying "we have more to do" and "there remains much to be done." It's kind of analogous to Mao's Long March--a Long March to the moon without a bridge, and we just keep walking in circles and we're told both that we're making progress and that we're not making enough progress. This is certified insanity, yet most people fail to see it.
George Gilder's "Wealth and Poverty" is one of the most important books on capitalism and the effects of welfare on its recipients you'll ever buy.
Book Description
An elderly lady once left $20,000 and "my Bible and all it contains" to her nephew. The young man knew what the Bible contained so he didn't bother to open it. He merely picked it up and put it on a high shelf in his house, and headed for Las Vegas.
It wasn't long until all his money was gone. He lived the next 60 years as a pauper, scraping for every meal and barely having the clothes on his back.
As he was moving to a convalescent home he reached up to grab that old Bible and accidentally dropped it from his trembling hands. It fell to the floor and opened, revealing a $100 bill between every page.
That man lived his life as a pauper when he could have lived in luxury, simply because of his prejudice. He thought he knew what the Bible contained.
Most people don't know that the Bible contains a wealth of incredible scientific, medical and prophetic facts. The implications are mind boggling…
Customer Reviews:
Does more harm than good.......2007-06-02
I am a Christian, and I certainly don't think you have to be an idiot to believe in the Bible and I think there are some wonderful sources in the world if you feel pressed to justify your beliefs on an intellectual level, BUT...this is not one of those sources. It is full of mistakes and misinformation. I hope it is accidental rather than deliberate, but I do have to warn you that using these arguments to justify the Christian faith will only feed the secular view that there is nothing intelligent about Christianity.
He tells outright lies about Columbus that even a grade-schooler could catch (as another reviewer mentioned)...buy something by Chuck Missler instead...he's a little more esoteric, but a far better scientist and scholar (as well as a Bible believer).
Incredibly stupid book!.......2006-11-16
This is the silliest, goofiest book I have read in a long time. There is no gentle way to say this: the author is a man of exceedingly modest intellectual capacity. He does not understand evolution. He does not understand science. He has an idiosyncratic understanding of the Bible that one can only marvel at - or else heartily laugh at!
If his intended audience was kindergarten classes, then he has been successful.
Here are some examples of the Bible's science:
Evidence of atoms: "things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." Hebrews 11:3
Radio waves: "Can you send lightnings, that they may go, and say to you, Here we are?" Job 38:35
Job 38:19 "Where is the way where light dwells?" This implies electromagnetic radiation and light travelling at 186,000 mpsecond.
By talking of heavens & "highest heavens", the Bible was explaining galaxies and clusters of galaxies.
"...neither shall you eat any flesh that is torn of beasts in the field..." Exodus 22:31 He hails this as insight into bacterial contamination!
He quotes a lot of notable people on their biblical faith - but most are centuries dead and not a few are taken out of context (e.g. Einstein who clearly stated his "God" was not the Christian God). His section on archeology is a farce - or state of the art for the 17th century if you prefer. His discussion of evolution is so warped as to make one wonder if he has EVER bothered reading even a high school biology textbook.
I don't think any reasonable, rational, semi-conscious Christian can take much "comfort" in this embarrassing book. I went to Comfort's web site to get further insight and I came away thinking this is a man with a GIANT ego and he has absolutely no basis for his self-congratulatory egotism.
This book is useless, except for chuckles.
Well written and fun to read........2006-08-10
Do I believe this book was a little bit biased? Yes, I do but, generally speaking, it was full of great information. I am educating myself on the Evolution Theory and the more I study it, the more I see that it makes much more sense to believe in a Creator than to believe in chance. If natural selection is true, then in order to select, it must have some kind of programming, if you will, to let it know which species were weak and deserved to be extinct and which ones were strong and deserved to exist. Just a few of the 100 Reasons to Believe the Bible is Supernatural in Origin were not convincing to me at all. I would say, less than 10 of the 100 reasons Ray Comfort gave were not too convincing, but overall, the book is worth reading. Good reference for those in a hurry. I highly recommend this book.
This is a Awesome Book..........2006-07-16
This book has opened my eyes. It is full of truthful facts that I never knew was in the bible. It is a must for everybody to read. And to comment on what E. Lores said; I think you need to open your eyes b/c everything in that book clearly comes right out of the bible... I think you need to make sure that you know what your saying before you open up your big mouth...
Not as good as it sounds.......2005-01-19
This book is fun to read, yes, no question about that, the problem are the facts inside.
In the first pages I found the first error. I continued, but without knowing if what I was reading was true. For example, Mr. Comfort, in page 12, states: "It was another 2000 years later (at a time when science believed that the earth was flat) that the scriptures inspired Christopher Columbus to sail around the world." Well, the problem is that, first, Columbus wasn't inspired by scriptures and, second, in those times people didn't believe that the earth was flat.
I am a Christian, and I'm very disappointed. Mr. Comfort's efforts to find evidence of modern science, modern hygiene and even dinosaurs in the Bible are simply unbelievable, and many times feels forced. He even quotes famous people on the Bible, I mean, if Napoleon said anything good about the Bible, that is a proof of is supernatural origin? He founds what his eyes want to find, he understands what he wants to understand... The worst is that he sees things that are not there and compares it to data that is wrong... The result is a fun but messy book.
Book Description
Adam Smith's masterpiece, first published in 1776, is the foundation of modern economic thought and remains the single most important account of the rise of, and the principles behind, modern capitalism. Written in clear and incisive prose, The Wealth of Nations articulates the concepts indispensable to an understanding of contemporary society; and Robert Reich's new Introduction for this edition both clarifies Smith's analyses and illuminates his overall relevance to the world in which we live. As Reich writes, "Smith's mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today as they were in the late eighteenth century--jobs, wages, politics, government, trade, education, business, and ethics."
Download Description
The first truly scientific argument for the principles of political economy.
Customer Reviews:
a classic.......2007-07-20
It's a big book, but not in any way complicated. In a nutshell, it details the mechanisms by which personal liberty -- accompanied by personal responsibility and a just system of government -- make nations, and the individuals who live in them, wealthy. I had a Marxist professor who did not like Adam Smith because Marxist theory prefers to emphasize class warfare, while Smith is saying that everyone is capable of providing for themselves and the less the government interferes, the better off we all are. Many conservatives, meanwhile, like Adam Smith because they seem to perceive a "survival of the fittest" philosophy in his works. They are both wrong.
Really, The Wealth of Nations ought to be read along with Smith's other classic, The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Together, the message in them is that government should leave people alone as much as possible, but people ought to exercise that liberty without greed.
hard to find a serviceable edition.......2007-07-07
"The Wealth of Nations" is more readable than you probably think, and if you actually sit down to it you'll be repeatedly astounded by Smith's shrewdness.
But parts of Smith's original can be tough going in many ways. Why don't publishers acknowledge this by coming out with something more helpful than just the raw text?
Unfortunately, finding an edition that will be of great use to you is problematic. That's why I'm giving this book 1 star: not for the text itself, but rather for the paucity of well-done printings out there.
Anyhow. I have three before me:
1. The "Modern Library Classics" edition, the one you see on this page. This is complete and unabridged in a single volume, and has a handsome, sturdy feel to it. There is a 4-page introduction and a well-done index, but what irks about this edition is that while it has a plethora of footnotes, all the footnotes are of the "textual comparison" variety (e.g., "12 Car. II., C. 32"), rather than the kind that really help you understand antiquated terms and convoluted wordings. In other words, you'll get no help from the editors here.
2. Then there is the barren Wealth of Nations (Great Minds Series). There is a 2-page introduction at the beginning and an index, but beyond that it's nothing more than the original text, complete with the original punctuation and spellings (neither of which has been made more merciful for the modern reader).
3. The Penguin Classics edition, in two volumes: The Wealth of Nations: Books 1-3 (Penguin Classics) and The Wealth of Nations, Books IV-V (Penguin Classics). This is probably the least worst edition I have seen, with a superb introduction (nearly 100 pages long), and a glossary, all done by Glasgow's Andrew Skinner. But the only footnotes in the text itself are apparently Smith's own. They appear directly on the bottom of the page in question.
So good luck, whichever one you choose.
In case you need to know, Smith's original consists of five long chapters, or "books."
If anybody has a more respectable edition at hand, please comment and I'll incorporate it into this review.
Free trade and pro biz.......2007-01-25
Great study material - very difficult read, but a must read that should be taught in high school.
Buy this if you support free trade, less government, and the American dream. Beware, this books represents everything a liberal opposes, ideals which are deeply hated by those who support liberal gods like Barak Hussein Obama and Miss H. Rodham.
Must have........2007-01-03
They shouldn't let you out of school unless you have this one in your head. Nice to have a copy around.
Readable introduction to economic theory.......2006-06-15
For anyone coming to Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations the first surprise is how readable it is. Famous classic of economic theory though it may be, this is no dry academic tome to be read only by people with a scholarly interest in economic history. There are no detailed tables of statistics of the sort one might expect to find in a modern book on the subject, and no mathematical analysis, indeed not very much quantitative information at all. Instead there is a long series of examples to explain such ideas as why it is more efficient to divide work among several specialists rather than have a complete task fulfilled by one person, or why slave labour is ultimately more expensive than paying free workers, even workers in cities like Boston or New York, where wages were far higher in Smith's time than those in his native Scotland.
To illustrate the principle of the division of labour Smith discusses the manufacture of nails. Even a blacksmith -- skilled in working with a hammer but with no special training in nail making -- could not make more than a few hundred nails in a day, and those of poor quality. A specialist nail maker could make more than two thousand, but much greater improvements, both in quality and quantity, come from recognizing that even a task as apparently simple as manufacturing a nail can be broken up into smaller tasks: maintaining the fire at the right temperature, hammering the nail into the right shape, using a different tool to form the head, and so on.
A popular edition of Wealth of Nations is inevitably abridged, as one can hardly expect to buy a complete scholarly edition for a price not much more than that of a novel. Complete editions are available as well, but they are much more expensive. With sensible editing, however, an abridged version can include as much of Smith's writing as the ordinary reader is likely to want, together with notes to explain points that will be obscure to the modern reader. In the Oxford World's Classics edition Kathryn Sutherland has made an excellent job of this, with notes that fill around a fifth of the length of the book.
Book Description
This book could be called "The Intelligent Person's Guide to Economics." Like Robert Heilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers, it attempts to explain the core ideas of the great economists, beginning with Adam Smith and ending with Joseph Schumpeter. In between are chapters on Thomas Malthus, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, the marginalists, John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich Hayek, and Thorstein Veblen. The title expresses Duncan Foley's belief that economics at its most abstract and interesting level is a speculative philosophical discourse, not a deductive or inductive science. Adam's fallacy is the attempt to separate the economic sphere of life, in which the pursuit of self-interest is led by the invisible hand of the market to a socially beneficial outcome, from the rest of social life, in which the pursuit of self-interest is morally problematic and has to be weighed against other ends.
Smith and his successors argued that the market and the division of labor that is fostered by it result in tremendous gains in productivity, which lead to a higher standard of living. Yet the market does not address the problem of distribution--that is, how is the gain in wealth to be divided among the classes and members of society? Nor does it address such problems as the long-run well-being of the planet.
Adam's Fallacy is beautifully written and contains interesting observations and insights on almost every page. It will engage the reader's thoughts and feelings on the deepest level.
Customer Reviews:
Economic Theory as Theology.......2007-09-07
This is a truly excellent book. As a long time student of the history of economic thought, this book, subtitled "A Guide to Economic Theology" offers a truly insightful perspective on Smith and other classical economists. It has always been my belief that there are a lot of people (some are pompous neo-cons) who quote Adam Smith and have never read him. The author quite effectively dismantles the argument inherent in "Adam's fallacy"; that is by acting in our own (avaricous)self interest, we are acting for the public good; that we must accept injustice in the present to allow for distributive justice over time. Markets for goods, services, and labor do not always produce efficient, let alone just outcomes.
The book should be required reading - not just in Economics Departments, but for elected officials as well. Three cheers for Duncan Foley!!
A very enjoyable reading.......2007-09-03
"Adam's Fallacy" is a very enjoyable reading for anyone interested in political economy; a refreshing view at the history of economic thought from a critical perspective and in an accessible fashion. The reader will appreciate Foley's wisdom in political economy and the care he takes in remaining unbiased, even when expressing the author's personal preferences.
4.5 Stars-Excellent book-Horrible Title.......2007-07-02
Foley is correct that "Modern" economic theory(Monetarism,Rational Expectations,Real Business Cycle theory,New Classical Economics, Efficient Market Hypothesis,etc.),which is based on the false claim that all markets can be modeled either as being normally distributed, or " as if " they were normally distributed,assumes stability and a natural self adjusting,self correcting invisible hand mechanism that,operating through the process of labor specialization,division of labor,extension of the market,and economic growth, transforms private greed into a social optimum.These theories model the economy as if it were inherently stable and subject only to exogenous shocks.They assume away the inherent ,internal,endogenous shocks created internally by both technical(capital goods) and financial innovation ,as well as the speculative shocks caused by speculators leveraging their bets with huge infusions of bank loans leading to the inevitable bubble and collapse.
Adam Smith did not make this error or commit "Adam's Fallacy".On pp.734-735 of the WN,1776,Modern Library (Cannan)edition,he makes it clear that the economic growth process of the Invisible Hand ,self interest,and the division of labor creates major undepletable,negative externalities(social,intellectual,martial,political,and moral) that impact practically the entire work force.The only way to counteract this is through government action.Foley needs to completely change the title to David's(Ricardo),Jeremy's(Bentham),and James'(Mills)Fallacy.
Compares favorably with Heilbronner's classic.......2007-02-05
I have recently read both Adam's Fallacy and R. Heilbronner's The Worldly Philosophers (as well as other introductions to economic thought). Adam's Fallacy compares favorably with Heilbronner in that it is a little less devoted to biographies of economists and a little more devoted to the content of their theories. Accordingly, it demands a little more effort from the reader. I didn't find it a quick or an easy read. Despite its title, it is a balanced approach to economics, giving Smith credit where due while attempting to provide "a critical and skeptical understanding of political economy." My advice is to read both Heilbronner's and Foley's books -- and not to stop there. The more you read on the topic of economics, the more nuanced your understanding will become.
Still looking for an unbiased history of economists.......2007-01-29
After reading the table of contents, I purchased this book, expecting it to be a dispassionate history of famous economists. By the middle of the text however, I came to realize that the author was embedding within his extensive knowledge of economic history his unabashed distaste of free market capitalism.
The premise of the book, (and of the title), is that the great fallacy of Adam Smith (and most other economists) is that they offer nothing to deal with the supposed immoral gap between the rich and poor. While R. Stone (above) addresses this point by pointing to the fact that Smith does in fact discuss this issue at length in The Theory of Moral Sentiments, I prefer to address it from a different direction. Foley's argument, focusing on the wide gap existing in capitalist societies between the rich and poor completely overlooks the absolute gains made by all under free market societies, versus their socialist counterparts. Paraphrasing the great Thomas Sowell, economics is not a system of morals, but rather a means by which scarce resource which have alternate uses are rationed most efficiently.
Chapter three most clearly shows the author's bias, in his glowing description of socialism, which in the end only euphemistically discusses the political difficulties in administering such a society. Page 204 is perhaps the best example of this bias:
"Furthermore, the Soviet Union did indeed manage to organize an impressive spurt of economic development, extension of the division of labor, and growth of productive capacity through its central planning mechanisms for what turned out to be a period of sixty years".
Nowhere in the text did Foley describe the now infamous rotting food in villages neighboring areas of starvation in the USSR. He does not mention the dominant theory among respected economists that the surplus value created by a capitalist society, and unevenly distributed to a certain class is what creates the incentives for goods (like food) to be distributed to the populace. Above all else, he does not ever mention the abject human rights violations ubiquitous in socialist regimes such as China under Mao, Cuba, USSR, etc. Granted, these abuses of power are not part of the system of socialism, but it is interesting nonetheless that they so often occur in societies which embrace their tenants.
Chapter five's description of Keynes was most interesting, in my opinion, for the strong weight Foley gave to his assertion that Say's Law is wrong, thereby destroying the theories of free trade, and opening the door to protectionist tariffs. What was notably missing from this discussion, however, were stats on the falling unemployment rates for *both* the US and Mexico in the years after Clinton signed NAFTA, or the continuously dropping unemployment rates, and job creation in recent years, during extensive outsourcing.
Nor does Foley treat the Great Depression with any objectivity. After describing the horrible conditions the US and world were facing in the thirties, and shortly thereafter, he states "To contemporary observers, laissez-faire policy seemed to be inadequate to cope with the problems of advanced industrial capitalism". What Foley fails to mention here is that FDR had a horribly anti-free market policy during the depression, which many economists now believe exacerbated matters, ie, setting price floors, which helped small farms at the expense of consumers who could no longer afford to buy food.
To his credit, however, Foley does end his book with a good joke: "On the whole, historically the best results seem to come from modest, and limited efforts to build institutions such as central banks, social security ...". It seems as though the best compliment Foley can come up with for capitalist societies is Social Security, a system which, under current operation, is scheduled to be completely bankrupt in thirty or forty years.
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming
The End of Nature
Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution
Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
