This post is an expansion of comments that I’ve made in response to posts made in De Minimis. In a way, it seems odd that I would need to make this post at all. After all, everyone instinctively feels that becoming wealthier is a good thing, right? So what possible arguments might one advance to claim the opposite? There are many levels to the critique made in De Minimis, and in his defense, he appears to acknowledge that this is a train of thought that is still in the making. Still, as I understand it, the argument against economic growth falls largely into the following two groups:
- Economic growth is bad for the environment and depletes the Earth’s finite resources in an unsustainable manner.
- Striving for material wealth may not necessarily bring about the desired happiness and the stress and conflict this cause may actually turn out not to be worth the struggle.
Continue reading Economic growth is good →
One blog that I’ve recently added to my regular reading list is De Minimis. I have no idea who the blog author is, but on general business and economic matters, I happily concede that he (I assume that the author is a “he”) is far more learned and well read that I am. He even appears to be a Star Trek fan, what a nice coincidence!
I’m pretty unhapppy about a post he made however. It’s an interview with PBB group chairman Datuk Oh Siew Nam about what measures Malaysia should take in the face of the current economic downturn. What upsets me is that in addition to the expected suggestion of a generously funded and carefully targeted stimulus plan, there are also two proposals that are explicitly protectionist in nature, and De Minimis appears to agree with both of them.
Continue reading Protectionism is bad, period. →
The unexamined life is a life not worth living