On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 11:11 AM, Ingrid <ingrid.srin...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > In the situation we currently find ourselves in as a species, it might be > nomadic values - the limiting of wants to match available resources and the > complete absence of asset accumulation, for instance - that are worth > emulating rather than the physical characteristics of that lifestyle. > No where in the past have humans limited their wants to match available resources. If any, we are the only species that has managed to revitalise and supplement earth's resources, simply because we wanted more. Resources, if left to nature, will take a lot longer to be replenished. Under private property and a system that allows the owner of that property to derive economic benefit, resources will not only be replenished quicker, it will be made more sustainable for the longer run. Some reading, if you want, on that 1) http://mises.org/daily/2058 2) http://reason.com/archives/2005/08/01/under-the-spell-of-malthus 3) http://reason.com/archives/2003/07/23/malthusian-twaddle Quote: "Primitive peoples are no worse than other animal predators, just more effective. Despite this history of depredation and disease, Ishmael's advice is that civilization must return in some fashion to the ethos of primitive humanity. How to do that, he leaves up to us. Fortunately, civilized humanity is solving the problem of long-run prudence by using culture. As our civilization develops, we are becoming better at foreseeing the consequences of our actions, and have built institutions that encourage long-range thinking. Private property is one such vital institution, because it forces people who reap the benefits to bear the costs of using a resource. Private property is a cultural institution that turns people into *real* "prudent predators." Both coyotes and men eat sheep, but while more coyotes mean fewer sheep, more men mean *more* sheep." C -- http://www.uk.linkedin.com/in/chandrachoodan http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravages http://www.selectiveamnesia.org/ +447940289855
