About
Content
Store
Forum

Rebirth of Reason
War
People
Archives
Objectivism

Post to this threadMark all messages in this thread as readMark all messages in this thread as unread


Sanction: 4, No Sanction: 0
Sanction: 4, No Sanction: 0
Post 0

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - 3:57amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Well, gee, Ed, if I had known that you were going to cut and paste the book, you could have saved me the purchase price.

As it was, I bought it used, and I am glad that I did.  The book is as described.  Postrel's thesis is sound and needed to be said.  I have cited the book and its points in discussions.  After about the first 100 pages -- if not the first 100 paragraphs -- it becomes redundant.  Like the lengthy review here, it might remain fun to read.  This book is great for the nightstand, if you like a little excoriation at bedtime. 

Ayn Rand made the same point perfectly in about three quips of dialog in Atlas when the looters are planning Directive 10-289. 

Of course, it is interesting and perhaps valuable to follow all the twisty passages of consequence.  One that I like -- and I have marked this hallway well with my graffiti here on SOLO -- is that government operates on the past (or attempts to), whereas businesses plan for the future.  Private protection agencies plan for the future and therefore prevent crimes -- which makes their operation difficult to perceive if you have "govern-mentality."  On the other hand, the government police (and government courts) attempt to maintain the present by correcting the past.  This was, in fact, a consequence that Postrel did not elaborate in her book.

Anyway, if you can find it in Dusty Pages for five bucks, it is worth the read.


Post 1

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - 5:08amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Hi Mike:

I apologize for posting this review/summary of a somewhat old book but Andrew was pleading for essays and I found this in my "archives".

Take care.

Ed


Post 2

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - 8:27amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit
Ed Younkins wrote: "I  apologize for posting this review/summary of a somewhat old book..."

Actually, I only found the book last year.  There are a lot of good ideas out there that deserve more than range-of-the-moment attention.  (Two weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List!!)  This is one of them.  The Future and Its Enemies provides many good insights and as I said, overall, the broader point should be made often.  So, thanks for posting that.

 


Post 3

Wednesday, October 26, 2005 - 11:24amSanction this postReply
Bookmark
Link
Edit


I also recommend The Substance of Style and her blog:

http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/

$

Post to this thread


User ID Password or create a free account.