Save your money and time by reading these brief ‘self-evident’ summaries.
1. The Crisis of Democratic
Capitalism, By Martin Wolf
Penguin Press 02/07/2023 496
pages $30.00
Publisher summary: From the chief economics
commentator of the Financial Times, Martin Wolf, The Crisis of Democratic
Capitalism is a reckoning with how and why the marriage between democracy and
capitalism is coming undone, and what can be done to reverse this terrifying
dynamic. “A bracing indictment of democratic capitalism and an inspiring
defense of it. . . . A necessary book—and a guide—for our times.” —Daniel
Ziblatt, professor, Harvard University, and co-author of How Democracies Die
cw review: The
fundamental cause of this “Crisis” is simple.
Both democracy and capitalism are inherently flawed systems. The majority vote systems can rarely be relied on
for creating and sustaining a functional government and laws that maximize
everyone's freedom and security. Thomas
Paine's pamphlet Common Sense pamphlet summarized this sustainable goal and its
two values as the only legitimate purpose of government. A government that abides by fundamental principles
inherent in "the Laws of Nature and Nature's God" humanity had been
advised of within the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. And capitalism is an economic system that if
left unregulated by any government will result in an unsustainable accumulation
of capital and the multiple destructive and lethal consequences on the
environment and human rights.
2. The Great Experiment: Why
Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure, By Yascha Mounk Penguin Books 368 pages
$18.00
Publisher summary: From one of our sharpest and most
important political thinkers, a brilliant big-picture vision of the greatest
challenge of our time—how to bridge the bitter divides within diverse
democracies enough for them to remain stable and functional. “A rare thing: [an] academic treatise . . .
that may actually have influence in the arena of practical politics. . . .
Passionate and personal.” —Joe Klein, New York Times Book Review
cw review: “Why”
is easy. Solutions exist in two simple
concepts. 1) Ensure that all
policies passed by diverse democracies are based on objective truths no subjective
personal, religious, political, or economic truths that are based on creative
and imaginary human ideas and not hard evidence. 2) Ensure that all democracies and those
voting in elections understand the fundamental principle that “Everything is connected, everything is
interdependent, so everything is vulnerable... And that’s why this has to be ... a global effort....” Jen Easterly. CISA
director. Oct. 29, 2021. [Cyber and
Infrastructure Security Agency, the newest US federal agency established by the
Trump Administration in 2018]. And that “everything is interdependent” means “NOTHING
is independent”. And it’s delusional to
base any global governance system on that illusion which will inevitably be doomed
to accelerating chaos of “Everything Everywhere All at once”.
3. The
Big Con: How the Consulting Industry Weakens Our Businesses, Infantilizes Our
Governments, and Warps Our Economies. By Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie
Collington Penguin Press 03/07/2023
352 pages $30.00
Publisher summary: There is an entrenched relationship
between the consulting industry and the way business and government are managed
today that must change. In The Big Con, Mazzucato and Collington investigate
important case studies such as the debacle of the rollout of HealthCare.gov
and the tragic failures of governments to respond adequately to the COVID-19
pandemic. With scholarship and original research, they argue brilliantly for
building a new system in which the public and private sectors work innovatively for
the common good.
cw review: The
consulting industry is about making money. Those
using consultants who are good at it usually get hired by those who have enough
to pay them. And enough to pay the lobbyists
they will hire to do what the consultants suggest. Consultants help increase profits. Rarely do they suggest making the protection
of human rights and the environment a company's highest priority.
4. The Journey of Humanity: A New History of Wealth and Inequality with
Implications for Our Future By Oded Galor Dutton 03/21/2023 304 pages |
$18.00
Publisher summary:
In a captivating journey from the dawn of human existence to the present,
world-renowned economist and thinker Oded Galor offers an intriguing solution
to two of humanity’s great mysteries. Why are humans the only species to
have escaped—only very recently—the subsistence trap, allowing us to enjoy a
standard of living that vastly exceeds all others? And why have we
progressed so unequally around the world, resulting in the great disparities
between nations that exist today?
cw review: After
the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals evolved into primates, and
eventually the human mind’s evolution as a problem-solving tool, opposing
thumb’s digital dexterity, and upright posture enabled our species to dominate
most others. The mind’s creative powers led
to ideas and cultures that enabled the powerful to be more powerful. And it will be the failure of our human mind
to grasp the fundamental principle that power is not about strength. It’s about adapting to change. And without justice, those with power who
fail to adapt to this fundamental challenge of ‘liberty and justice for all’ are
bound for failure and possible extinction.
No comments:
Post a Comment