Political decisions are invariably zero-sum.
Free market decisions are invariably win-win (except for some people errors, something that is part of life).
That's a reason why I like the free market. So too did Clinton.
Harry ------------------------------------------------------------------
Lawrence wrote:
Many thanks for the reminder, Keith...
> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Keith Hudson > Sent: Monday, September 16, 2002 6:21 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny > > > I mentioned the above book on FW soon after it was published in 2000 and > received a pounding because I mentioned the forbidden term "game theory". > Anyhow, I still think it's one of the best books of the last decade. I > recently came across Clinton's assessment of the book, so perhaps this > might just possibly stimulate one or two FWers to read the book. It's now > out as a paperback (Abacus). > > Keith Hudson > -------------- > NONZERO: THE LOGIC OF HUMAN DESTINY By Robert Wright > > President Clinton's comments on "Nonzero" > > Speaking at the Hay-on-Wye Literary Festival, May, 2001: > Last year I read a book which influenced me greatly by a man named Robert > Wright. Its called Nonzero, and, did you ever read a book where somebody > says what youve been thinking, and you immediately decide the author is a > genius? Weve all done it. Because this person puts something, that > youve been thinking and feeling but could never quite say, in the way you > wish you could have said it. > > Speaking at the anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords, Nov., 2001, on > C-SPAN: > Last year I read a book that described the way the world works in ways > better than I can, but I completely agree with it.... The title of this > book is Nonzero. The author is Robert Wright. And if you > havent read it, > I urge you to get it and read it. > > Speaking at the Mayflower Hotel, Washington, DC, Sept., 2000: > There is an astonishing new book out, been out a few months, by a > man named > Robert Wright, called Nonzero -- kind of a weird title unless you're > familiar with game theory. But in game theory, a zero-sum game is one > where, in order for one person to win, somebody has to lose. A > non-zero-sum > game is a game in which you can win and the person you're playing with can > win, as well. And the argument of the book is that, > notwithstanding all the > terrible things that happened in the 20th century -- the abuses of science > by the Nazis, the abuses of organization by the communists, all the things > that continue to be done in the name of religious or political purity -- > essentially, as societies grow more and more connected, and we become more > interdependent, one with the other, we are forced to find more and more > non-zero-sum solutions. That is, ways in which we can all win. > > And that's basically the message I've been trying to preach for > eight years > here...We have to have an expanding idea of who is in our family. > And we in > the United States, because we're so blessed, have particular > responsibilities to people not only within our borders who have been left > behind, but beyond our borders who otherwise will never catch up if we > don't do our part. Because we are all part of the same human family, and > because, actually, life is more and more a non-zero-sum game, so that the > better they do, the better we'll do. (Applause.) > > Interview with Wired magazine, December, 2000: > "But I basically buy the argument of Robert Wright's new book, > Nonzero. . . > . [It's] sort of a reverse social Darwinism: the more complex societies > get and the more complex the networks of interdependence within and beyond > community and national borders get, the more people are forced in > their own > interests to find non-zero-sum solutions. That is, win-win solutions > instead of win-lose solutions." > > Speaking at the Hay Adams Hotel, Washington, DC, Sept., 2000 > The best book I read in the last few months is a book called Nonzero, by > Robert Wright. He wrote another book a few years ago called The Moral > Animal that was a bestseller. I will oversimplify, at the risk of being > criticized by the author, the argument of the book... As societies grow > more complex in their inter-relation, and more interdependent both within > and beyond their borders, people in positions of authority and citizens at > the grass-roots level are forced to look constantly for more non-zero-sum > solutions, hence the title of the book... It's a very interesting > book, and > not naive. I mean, he he acknowledges, even in the most sort of > cooperative > societies, you've got an election, one person wins the presidency, the > other one doesn't. One person gets to be head of AOL, somebody doesn't. > > But the argument of the book is far more sophisticated. It is that to > succeed, even in positions of leadership, where there is a competition for > the position, the measure of success is not so much whether you got what > you wanted by winning at somebody else's expense, but whether you got what > you wanted because you enabled other people to achieve their dreams and to > do what they want. > > And I think the idea that we are moving toward a world where more > and more, > we will find our own victories in other people's victories, because our > interdependence forces us to seek non-zero-sum solutions -- is a very > helpful way to think about dealing with most social problems; and frankly, > some economic challenges, like global debt relief and things like that. > > Keith Hudson
**************************************************** Harry Pollard Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 Tel: (818) 352-4141 -- Fax: (818) 353-2242 http://home.attbi.com/~haledward ****************************************************
--- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.493 / Virus Database: 292 - Release Date: 6/25/2003
