The four horsemen: how the global economy works
Four horsemen: a documentary Continue reading The four horsemen: how the global economy works
Tag: economic theory
The intentional road to hell
by Sanjay Perera The road to hell is paved with good intentions. — An aphorism[1] Some propositions are so dangerous that it may even be ethical to kill people for believing them. This may seem an extraordinary claim, but it … Continue reading The intentional road to hell
Radical punishment: the economic rationality of the Marquis de Sade
by Sanjay Perera …he would greatly have loved to make a formidable death machine of universal life. But mere nothingness is not his goal. What he has striven for is sovereignty, through the spirit of negation, carried to its extreme. … Continue reading Radical punishment: the economic rationality of the Marquis de Sade
The weapondollar-petrodollar coalition: still about oil?
by Shimshon Bichler and Jonathan Nitzan 1. The Triangle of Conflict Analyses of modern Middle East conflicts vary greatly. They range from sweeping regional histories to narratives of individual disputes. They draw on various analytical frameworks and reflect different … Continue reading The weapondollar-petrodollar coalition: still about oil?
Taking notes 41: Ideological foundations of neoclassical economics: class interests as “economic theory”
by Ismael Hossein-zadeh There is now a widespread consensus that mainstream/neoclassical economists failed miserably to either predict the coming of the 2008 financial implosion, or provide a reasonable explanation when it actually arrived. Not surprisingly, many critics have argued that … Continue reading Taking notes 41: Ideological foundations of neoclassical economics: class interests as “economic theory”
Can capitalists afford recovery? Three views on economic policy in times of crisis
by Jonathan Nitzan and Shimshon Bichler Economic, financial and social commentators from all directions and of various persuasions are obsessed with the prospect of recovery. The world remains mired in a deep, prolonged crisis, and the key question seems to … Continue reading Can capitalists afford recovery? Three views on economic policy in times of crisis
Keynes is Dead; Long Live Marx!
by Ismael Hossein-zadeh Many liberal economists envisioned a new dawn of Keynesianism in the 2008 financial meltdown. Nearly six years later, it is clear that the much-hoped-for Keynesian prescriptions are completely ignored. Why? Keynesian economists’ answer: “neoliberal ideology,” which they … Continue reading Keynes is Dead; Long Live Marx!
In defence of Engels
by Roland Boer The reputation of Friedrich Engels has often not fared well in the Marxist tradition. At a minimal level, he is regarded as the lesser intellect in relation to Marx, while more commonly dismissed as one who seriously distorted Marx’s thought and thereby derailed the subsequent socialist tradition. According to this assumption, not only did he make a mess of his editing work, after Marx’s death, with the second and third volumes of Capital, but he also distorted the later tradition by means of his ‘Dialectics of Nature’ and his very popular ;Anti-Dühring’ and ‘Socialism: Utopian and Scientific’. … Continue reading In defence of Engels
Making moral philosophy relevant again: the rent across the ‘veil of ignorance’
by Sanjay Perera Then I knew that the sign I had asked for was not a little thing, not a passing nod of recognition and a phrase came back to me from my childhood of the veil of the temple … Continue reading Making moral philosophy relevant again: the rent across the ‘veil of ignorance’
Taking notes 37: Meritocracy, repression and Piketty’s apocalyptic asymptote
by Sanjay Perera
Much has been said about Thomas Piketty’s important and much talked about book. But not enough has been said about his nuanced wit and jibes at a system of meritocratic capitalism that is starting to merge with the hereditary accumulation and growth of wealth termed as patrimonial capitalism. But then it can also get quite serious. Continue reading Taking notes 37: Meritocracy, repression and Piketty’s apocalyptic asymptote
Philosophers for Change 