First, I did not "rant against the new economy." If you are refering to the piece of Wray's interview I fwded to the list, I simply thought some on the list might be interested in another statement by an economist that the "new economy" view may be misguided, and that the "new economy" may not guarantee a soft landing.
In terms of my response to Doug's "Small is not Beautiful" I was simply pointing out that the origins of that term did not regard merely a preference for small capitalist firms over large ones.
That being said, the problems of centralization in the Kropotkin/Schumacher/Bookchin view are not addressed by the "decentralisation of information" you claim accompanies the development of "the new technology."
If you have points to make, why don't you just make them, instead of misrepresenting what others say so you can make your posts appear to be relevant responses to list discussion?
Mat
-----Original Message----- From: jan carowan [mailto:jancarowan at hotmail.com] Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2000 3:14 AM To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com Subject: RE: small not beautiful
Mr Forstater,
Why rant against the new economy if your ideal is Kropotkin's decentralisation? Is it not the new technology that is now effecting the greatest decentralisation of information in human history? Only now could have a "radical" such as Mr Henwood reached such a mass audience. Hasn't his fame here even earned him free advertising spots on television to raise questions about how newly new the new economy is? And who is a idealistic Russian price compared to a technology that brings us information at enormous speed and almost infinite scale?
By the way, I note that Mr Wray, Mr Henwood and you seem not interested in the question of whether the productivity measures or consumer price index is biased against the high technology revolution.
Do leftist business observers feel more comfortable with dismal scientists?
Today's Wall Street Journal (which I suppose leftist business observers read) reports on the well known revolutionary impact of programmable machine tools, while also noting that the consumer price index does not take account of machines whose duty and durability have been extended and thus require fewer repairs and less service Indeed fewer visits to the service station means less GDP to those who take these measures seriously.
To the outside observer, it is a great paradox indeed that leftist business observers pooh-pooh the revolutionary impact of the radical new innovations of the third industrial revolution while exploring every new possibility they open up for self promotion.
What exactly is the source of this animus against technology that makes you all rant so and call up the memories of simple minded political utopians of the past?
JC
>From: "Forstater, Mathew" <ForstaterM at umkc.edu>
>Reply-To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
>Subject: RE: small not beautiful
>Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2000 23:23:43 -0500
>I guess the 'small is beautiful' part is not meant as a comment on
>Schumacher,
>but just reflects the journalistic preference for catchy phrases? Mat
>From: Doug Henwood [mailto:dhenwood at panix.com]
>SMALL IS NOT BEAUTIFUL
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