5 out of 5 Stars.....
This book is a response the Occupy Wall Street and other Occupy
movements around the world, where the protestors know there is something
wrong, the 1% vs the 99%, most people on the planet, but so far haven't
come up with any comprehensive descriptions of the problems or possible
solutions, because it is so complex. The author lays most of the blame
on neo-liberal economics and related politics, beginning around 1980
with US president Reagan and Britian's Margaret Thatcher - basically
complete free-trade and free movement of money with negligible
government regulation, resulting in a transference of wealth from public
hands and the poor and middle class, into the hands of the wealthy and
well-connected. This all represented, in the US, along with, to a
degree, Britain, which he calls "The Empire," where what has resulted in
a corporatocracy, a form of fascism, where the political system is
bought and paid for by large corporations where this capitalism seeks
cheap labor and resources from around the world, all the while using up
the planet's resources to the point where we are nearing a point of no
return where the survival of the world's civilization is at stake unless
we change this direction.
What the author claims is that we are
going through a paradigm shift from Cartesian/Newtonian physics to
Quantum physics at the world level, where the world is a living organism
where it isn't "cause and effect" at the world view level, but
everything is connected. He offers a possible solution, a Gaian society,
led by some small nations and leaders including some wise elders from
around the world, to work together with new organizations and local
currencies replacing the WTO, IMF and World Bank to work toward a
sustainable planet which will change the way we live from from one of
greed and accumulating money and material things to one where there is
more meaning to our lives.
The book is divided into 6 parts -
Planet under siege, Drivers of Destruction, The Empire, New values/New
beliefs, Toward a Gaian World Order, Getting There.
Among the things covered are...
1.
Global warming (carbon footprint), extinction of species, genetic
engineering a risk, antibiotic resistant bacteria, monoculture
(industrial farming reduces crop rotation, etc).
2.
Corporatocracy is a threat to our civilization because it is overloading
our ecosystem as exhibited above, plus overpopulation.
3. Peak
oil is mere decades away - tar sand oil and natural gas via fracking
use more energy to produce, especially when clean-up costs are included.
4.
Tainter's Theory - civilizations solve problems using greater
complexity until they become so complex the are overwhelmed by it and
collapse.
5. Currently, nations measure progress by GDP, but GDP
includes negative things like building of prisons, disaster clean-ups,
etc. A more accurate measure GPI (progress)which started declining about
30 years ago.
6. Greater consumption leads to speculative bubbles. Bhutan has a Gross National Happiness Index.
7.
Gini Coefficient measures income disparity where societies have shifted
to "Greed is good" philosophy which at high levels as it is now, always
leads to social and health problems with people rebelling.
8.
Beginning in the 80's banks migrated from low risk investments to high
risk ones including derivatives, high leverage, Credit Default Swaps,
naked derivatives, unrestricted capital flows allowed speculators to get
money out of countries fast if bets went bad leaving countries to
suffer, front-running to exacerbate trends, repeal of Glass-Steagall,
etc.
In sum, a very good look into the problems we face, though
the author's solution is more speculative, but a good way to get our
discussions started, so we can head in a better direction than we are
now going. So, a fine book, even for neo-liberal supporters so that they
know what is brewing.
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