[lbo-talk] You Can't Make Me Talk

[Tayssir John Gabbour]

On 4/8/07, Miles Jackson <cqmv at pdx.edu> wrote:
> Tayssir John Gabbour wrote:
> > Incidentally, Michael Albert has an interesting counterpoint:
>
> >     "Does the word induce a bit of nausea in some of you? It does in
> >     me. But we need to get over that, because efficiency really means
> >     seeking to attain our aims and in doing so not wasting things we
> >     value. We should all therefore favor efficiency. The alternative
> >     to favoring efficiency is to favor either not attaining our aims,
> >     or to favor wasting things that we value.
>
> But this ignores the fact that efficiency in some domains can block us
> from obtaining our aims in other domains.  We can't just simply say "we
> should be efficient"; rather, we have to ask "What are the exogenous
> costs of this form of efficiency in other domains of social life?  Based
> on our values, is this a reasonable trade-off?"  --A couple of examples.

It's possible to extrapolate too much from this single quote.

With "radical theory," Albert argues that there are different spheres
of activity to consider -- economic sphere being only one. If you just
describe society from the perspective of economics or polity or gender
or nationalism, you'll probably suffer from tunnel vision. [1]

Also, efficiency is only one of his economic goals. He lists others,
which may trade off with efficiency: solidarity, self-management,
diversity and equity.

Further, Albert's measure of efficiency takes into account social
costs, the kind which mainstream economists seem to ignore. [2]

Incidentally, he kinda seems to agree with von Mises' arguments, that
centralized economies are inefficient. And that for Parecon: "Prices
providing accurate estimates of the full social costs and benefits of
inputs and outputs are the most important quantitative communicative
tools we use." [3]

[1] <http://www.zmag.org/Instructionals/RTInstruc/id29.htm>
[2] <http://www.zmag.org/books/pareconv/Chapter3.htm#_VPID_34>
[3] <http://www.zmag.org/books/4.htm>

Tayssir

--
Your mileage may vary...