[lbo-talk] martin wolf and positive sum economies

[Jeffrey Fisher]

hola, all. haven't been dropping in on you for a while, but i feel another
surge, so to speak, of lbo-talk participation coming on . . .
at the moment, i'm curious what people think, especially doug and the
economicalist types, of wolf's FT column a couple of days ago. i've never
been a fan of wolf's, as much as i like the FT. but here i can't quite
decide whether he's not saying very much at all, or whether it's something
important. he's certainly not arguing for a socialist utopia, but maybe in a
way he is, even if he doesn't know it.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0447f562-ad85-11dc-9386-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

http://tinyurl.com/3ydokw

cheating and jumping to the end:

---

The response of many, notably environmentalists and people with socialist
leanings, is to welcome such conflicts. These, they believe, are the
birth-pangs of a just global society. I strongly disagree. It is far more
likely to be a step towards a world characterised by catastrophic conflict
and brutal repression. This is why I sympathise with the hostile response of
classical liberals and libertarians to the very notion of such limits, since
they view them as the death-knell of any hopes for domestic freedom and
peaceful foreign relations.

The optimists believe that economic growth can and will continue. The
pessimists believe either that it will not do so or that it must not if we
are to avoid the destruction of the environment. I think we have to try to
marry what makes sense in these opposing visions. It is vital for hopes of
peace and freedom that we sustain the positive-sum world economy. But it is
no less vital to tackle the environmental and resource challenges the
economy has thrown up. This is going to be hard. The condition for success
is successful investment in human ingenuity. Without it, dark days will
come. That has never been truer than it is today.

---

he's clearly talking to the wrong socialists. maybe that's the problem.

j

--

"Among medieval and modern philosophers, anxious to establish the religious
significance of God, an unfortunate habit has prevailed of paying to Him
metaphysical compliments."

     - Whitehead

http://brainmortgage.blogspot.com/