Came across this passage in a novel by Donna Leon entitled The jewels of paradise and was struck by it; I fear it accords with an almost universal (and timeless - didn't Plato rail at politicians in his Republic and cry out for the philosopher king) feeling about those who become politicians. Here it is:
Tag: Industrial Capitalism
Extract from ‘The beguiling sins of industrial capitalism’
Ch 2: A Haves and Have Nots World A much greater hunger In 1800 the world’s population was about 1.36 billion. If we are to believe statistical analysis, most people lived, in income terms, relatively similar lives. According to Gapminder statistical analysis (admittedly conjectural, given that data before 1900 is ‘highly uncertain’) the world’s poorest … Continue reading Extract from ‘The beguiling sins of industrial capitalism’
Ch 5: Human nature — The hierarchy of needs
A bit from the chapter I'm writing: Capitalism plays to what is most insidious in human ‘nature’: competitiveness, acquisitiveness, instant gratification, tribalism. It’s fundamental mandates, the profit motive; economies of scale; the price mechanism; inelasticity of demand… allow this game. The game derives from its character. Capitalism is not programmed for altruism. It is, and … Continue reading Ch 5: Human nature — The hierarchy of needs
Inkstained fingers 