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“A preoccupation with pursuing growth—or some modified version of the growth ideal—therefore means a preoccupation with ideas, a preoccupation with cultivating human reason, and a preoccupation with the notion that man should realize, perfect, and extend his nature as a generator of powerful ideas that can change the world.’’
‘Ideas create wealth’. Not gold, oil, silicon or hard work. Thought is primary. Not always understood.
“First, I do not take the productive powers of economies for granted. Production could be much greater than it is today, and our lives could be more splendid. Or, if we make some big mistakes, production could be much lower, and we could all be much poorer. This simple observation allows us to put the idea of production at the center of our moral theory, because without production, value is problematic.’’
‘Production could be more or less’ than now. Oddly, this absolutely certain statement, seems difficult to absorb.
Another uncommon thought . . .
“Science is our main path to knowledge, and yet so often science tells us that we don’t know. That is all the more true for social science, and macroeconomics may well stand at the summit of our epistemic limitations.’’
‘Science teaches ignorance’! What? Yep, and Cowen accepts this.
Wow!
One of the key insights . . .
“We can also see the importance of faith to the overall argument. To fully grasp the import of doing the right thing, and the importance of creating wealth and strengthening institutions, we must look very deeply into the distant future. As I have argued at length, this is a conclusion suggested by reason. But in the real world of actual human motivations, the application of abstract reason across such long time horizons is both rare and unhelpful when it comes to getting people to do the right thing.’’
Who buys life insurance when a teenager? Huge financial reward!
“The actual attitudes required to induce an acceptance of such long time horizons are, in psychological terms, much closer to a kind of faith. We cannot see these very distant expected gains, but we must believe in them nonetheless, and we must hold those beliefs near and dear to our hearts. In this sense, we should strongly reject the modern secular tendency to claim that a good politics can or should be devoid of faith.’’
‘Faith required’!
“There are, of course, many bad forms of faith in politics, and we should not encourage political (or other) beliefs in willful disregard of reason. But we cannot kick away faith itself as a motivational tool, as politics is of necessity built on some kind of faith. The lack—and, indeed, the sometimes conscious rejection—of the notion of faith, as is common in secular rationalism, is one of the most troubling features of the contemporary world. It has brought us some very real gains in terms of personal freedom, but it also threatens to diminish our ability to make the very best choices.’’
‘Lack of faith brings problems’. Not usually considered.
1 Introduction
2 Wealth makes the world go round
3 Overcoming disagreement
4 Is time a moral illusion?
5 What about redistribution?
6 Must uncertainty paralyze us?
Conclusion—where have we landed?
Cowan writing for general reader. Not shallow, but offers clear insights without obscurity. Provides more technical, mathematical detail in appendix.
He does not avoid the philosophical, epistemological questions that arise. However, offers clear, short practical explanations. Well done.
Probably the most appealing facet is his modesty. He has integrated the sense that human reason, human science have real limits. Not all writers remember or even believe that.
This work appeals to morality or ethics. Works hard to find a solid basis for decisions. Does a fair job. But this is an age old problem. A secular, materialistic, physical universe does not provide a obvious foundation for right and wrong, good and bad, etc., etc..
He analyzes the problems of utilitarianism. His alternative . . .
About two hundred references (not linked)
- Hardcover: 160 pages
- Publisher: Stripe Press (October 16, 2018)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1732265135
- ISBN-13: 978-1732265134
- Package Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
- Average Customer Review: 23 customer reviews
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Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#155,302 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #51 in Social Sciences Reference
- #75 in Sustainable Business Development
- #36 in Comparative Economics (Books)
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