From: Runar Bjarnason

Date: 15 Jul 2005

 

Thanks for posting my letter on your site. I didn't realize my humble opinion would be of such value.

 

I'll fully agree that the U.S. is gradually degenerating from rule of law to a rule of men. The present debate is merely over which men shall rule. It's completely immaterial which flavor of dictatorship or mob-rule prevails if we've surrendered on the principle of objective laws.

 

The question then becomes, as with the database debate: What are you going to do about it?

 

 

From: Fabian Pascal

 

When the soviet bloc fell, they all thought capitalism won. But communism arose originally because of failures of capitalism, and what is today happening in the world is fast restoration of the conditions that produced communism. Left unchecked, corporate capitalism and theocratic fascism are self-destructive, and will induce their anti-thesis. The problem is that a mass of innocents are destroyed in these processes. Inherent price of human society, methinks.

 

The problems are systemic and cannot be resolved by the average individual. To see why, see Mancur Olson's THE LOGIC OF COLLECTIVE ACTION.

 

 

From: Runar Bjarnason

 

Thanks, I will check out the book. On cursory examination it looks like an interesting read.

 

Speaking of capitalism, Andrew Bernstein just finished a new book called THE CAPITALIST MANIFESTO, scheduled for release in September of this year. Of course, I haven't read it, but it looks promising indeed. If you cannot wait, try CAPITALISM: THE UNKNOWN IDEAL by Ayn Rand.

 

More on collective action: Eric Hoffer's THE TRUE BELIEVER: THOUGHTS ON THE NATURE OF MASS MOVEMENTS, which your recommendation reminds me of.

 

 

From: Fabian Pascal

 

It's an old classic. Not an easy read, but very important.

 

I don't buy capitalism, nor Rand. Bad economics and pretty shallow stuff.

 

Olson is the opposite of believers: rational behavior, economic approach.

 

 

Posted 9/16/05