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Origin of the Specious
How Might I Be Wrong?
Alexander Douglas | Lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, London
Origin of the Specious
How Might I Be Wrong?
Alexander Douglas | Lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, London
4 comments:
Re: market signals & Austrians. Yes, government meddles with markets, a lot. Sometimes government screws things up but it's hard to imagine operating an industrialized economy without government. We tried it during the roaring 20's and it didn't end well. The best we can hope for is a benign and competent government.
Re: how might functional finance be wrong? I worry about the seeming contradiction between the functional finance goal of keeping the economy operating at full capacity vs. the Sandwichman's goal of radically reducing consumption to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also the assumption -- almost never questioned -- that a job is a good thing and that everyone should have one. Sometimes I wonder if we're all just brainwashed?
On FF vs "Sandwichman's goal", there is no contradiction. If greenhouse gas emissions are bad and need to be reduced, and therefore consumption must be radically reduced (the therefore is dubious) then we just need to change our cost structure, improve our accounting, change our state actions, etc. Once that is done, there is no sane reason for running society at lower than environmentally sustainable capacity.
Also the assumption -- almost never questioned -- that a job is a good thing
It's not an assumption, but the idea behind it follows from the most elementary and universal morality. More precisely, a job offer is always a good thing. Who should have the tyrannical power to say that someone who wants to work for society for a quid pro quo should be denied this? Who has such divine wisdom? Not me, and I daresay neither you nor Sandwichman. With some past sages I would even say that someone denied such a right - someone who society has thus decided to treat like a piece of shit, an animal, not a human being, has every right to return the favor, hoist the skull and crossbones and "rob" from this demented society. My theodicy is that such piracy is heroism.
@Calg, no one has presented a plan to reverse global warming merely by improving our accounting, etc.. We may have already passed a tipping point and if not then we're damned close. We need to pull the plug on emissions RIGHT NOW.
How 'bout an offer to be self-sufficient, as many people were prior to industrialization?
Recall the story about the colonial whites who tried to entice Africans to work for them, but the Africans said "no thanks, we're self sufficient so we're not looking for a job." Frustrated, the colonial whites hit upon the idea of taxing the Africans. That created a demand for money and forced the Africans to accept jobs so they could earn money to pay their taxes. Effectively the Africans were enslaved by "jobs."
We need to pull the plug on emissions RIGHT NOW. Likely enough. This equates to asking for infinite dollars for emissions. Or "accounting for it" the same way we "account for" violent crimes, imposing similar punishment. So both of us have more or less just proposed the plan you seek.
How 'bout an offer to be self-sufficient, as many people were prior to industrialization?
Nobody, not one society, not one person ever was or could be self-sufficient that way. Nobody could make or take such an offer. Humans are social animals. Any society, any division of labor requires debt - debt which can eventually become money. Looking at things as if there is a difference of kind between the societies you allude to and modern monetary ones is a serious mistake, but many people make it. Premonetary societies always have "job guarantees" - never have unemployment - as many have observed. In any case, that money will magically disappear tomorrow is not worth considering, especially if one is urgently worried about something like global warming. Real problems in any society are not dispelled by wishful (or fearful) thinking. But by people doing something - doing their jobs.
And as I have said many times before, a (modern) money- using society without a job guarantee is an insane idea. Nobody who understood what they are saying could propose such a crazy idea. That most people do think & say it is ok - that it could be replaced by anything else - just means that most people don't understand what they are doing and saying.
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