tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33634783.post187928864200617364..comments2023-12-29T18:47:49.395+11:00Comments on benign0's blog: The persistent myth of economic growthbenign0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08022916216097762181noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33634783.post-78019235589336826622011-02-26T07:34:38.713+11:002011-02-26T07:34:38.713+11:00I suppose Ayn Rand forgot to consider the small ma...I suppose Ayn Rand forgot to consider the small matter that too many egoists roaming the planet would eventually eat it all up.<br /><br />Our correspondence also caused me to reflect on how well educated we are in looking at the past, and how inept we are at planning for the future. I'll probably noodle up a blog on this point.The Society of Honorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02536906267332687130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33634783.post-89822536306234518522011-02-25T19:13:41.881+11:002011-02-25T19:13:41.881+11:00Thanks by the way. Our exchange of comments in the...Thanks by the way. Our exchange of comments in the other article inspired this one. :-)<br /><br />That's the dilemma with being sentient beings, isn't it? Whereas other species were driven by a collective effort to propagate their genetic code, we as a species have become disengaged from that evolutionary driver because we can now <i>consciously</i> pursue individual aspirations.<br /><br />Trouble is, the macro effect of billions of individuals pursuing individual aspirations does not necessarily translate to a collective good or improved chances to endure for the species as a whole.benign0https://www.blogger.com/profile/08022916216097762181noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33634783.post-65189180104869321832011-02-25T07:40:41.586+11:002011-02-25T07:40:41.586+11:00Your commentary reminds me of my old query, when l...Your commentary reminds me of my old query, when looking at the sheets of metal lining Los Angeles freeways during drive time, why don’t the drivers going east just swap jobs with the drivers going west? The freeways would clear up and everyone would be happier with shorter commutes. Alas, Australians took to the outback and shot dingos or headed for Bondi and surfed or hung ten at the opera house whilst Japan took to manufacturing.<br />I personally think achievement is a good thing, for the spirit, and economic growth is a good thing, for the national belly, for there are always too many hungry and disenfranchised folks about, and competition is a good thing, for it promotes the brain as well as anything, and our brains would otherwise be more backward than they are now. The earth goes through stages, some better than others, and the accumulation of wealth for personal gain has characterized the motivation of many of us for centuries; it is a stage we would be wise to dispense with, as you say. Our motivation ought to be to think about how to extend our time on this finite orb, an orb that will not stand for an infinite number of fools blundering about stripping the place bare. <br />Now, of course, the Philippines excels at stripping, having turned its lush seas to empty deserts, its verdant mountains to mud slides and too many of its beautiful women to mindless birthing machines.The Society of Honorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02536906267332687130noreply@blogger.com