The Baha'i Studies Listserv On 11 Sep 2010 at 17:12, Ahang Rabbani wrote: > The issue is that what Abdu'l-Baha says appears to contradicts the > last 200+ years of economic prosperity of the west based on the > principle of self-interest.
yes, the greatest economic prosperity is produced by all the actors seeking their own benefit rationally (including rational decisions to work cooperatively) -- but that economic system itself needs a framework of laws and enforcement, which is provided by a political system, that supplies the necessary coercion and unambiguous authority (one government per territory, constitutional law etc). But the state's coercive function relies on most citizens at least obeying the law most of the time, and many people going the extra mile. State coercion can only cope with the exceptions. Therefore the state needs virtuous citizens, and altruists. If the market needs the state, and the state needs altruists, then the market needs altruists too. Moreover the market institutions also require that most market actors should follow the market rules most of the time, for which it relies on market sanctions (reputation) and state coercion, but also on the fact that the same virtuous citizens the state needs will also be virtuous market actors, for someone who has acquired trustworthiness (for example) will be trustworthy both in relaiton to government and law, and in relation to market transactions, and in other matters. Sen ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Sen McGlinn http://senmcglinn.wordpress.com *** When, however, thou dost contemplate the innermost essence of things, and the individuality of each, thou wilt behold the signs of thy Lord's mercy . . ." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -- __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[email protected] Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:leave-526045-27401.54f46e81b66496c9909bcdc2f7987...@list.jccc.edu Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [email protected] Or subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:[email protected] Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News (on-campus only) - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
