Economy and Pleasure - Essay Example

This new social division - between a class of winners and a class of losers - is very different from other social divisions that have separated one class of citizens from another. For example, other social divisions are weakened - at least to an extent - by religious and social doctrines requiring that the strong help the weak. Unlike these social divisions, competitive economy does not offer any such instruction. Losers, as defined by the author, are those people with which no one knows what to do.

The author views these as cornerstone ideals within economic competition, and as such describes them as destructive, unnatural, and limitless. Additionally, another danger exists in the anarchic free-for-all economy such as competition: "unlimited economic competitiveness proposes an unlimited concentration of economic power." Essentially, by allowing competition to continue without limits, the social group of "winners" will eventually shrink while the class of "losers" continually grows. This growth will eventually place too much power and economic strength into the hands of too few.

The author lists several examples of this already happening: as land is being taken away from families, universities, and other homesteads in the interest of growing new industries and technology. Finally, the author moves on to the differences in pleasures when compared to their economic cost or benefit. Essentially, the nation works similarly to its citizens; there are different levels of wants and desires - or pleasures - that the nation considers acquiring. Just as a person would carefully weigh the cost against the benefit when considering a new pleasure; the nation often considers the same cost vs.

benefit ration.Two EconomiesTo begin, an anecdote explains the scope and large scale involvement that the economy must entail; although the author poorly chose the term "The Kingdom of God" to exemplify this scale, the author successfully explained his position. The scope of the economy must be comprehensive enough to include everything, both "believers" and "non-believers", regardless of their level of understanding or acknowledgement, and with the acceptance that trying to violate the order of such an institution will result in absolute and severe penalties.

The term "Great Economy" was finally settled on with the same purpose; to try and exemplify the scope with which the reader must recognize as being encompassed by the economy. In contrast, Human Economy is not as large-scale. Rather, human economy is smaller and more focused on the definitions and values of human goods. The largest difference between the Great Economy and the Human Economy is that the Great Economy can create and supply value, but cannot identify or appraise such value. Human Economy can identify and appraise value, but cannot create value.

Value originates within the Great Economy, and is then added to, evaluated, identified, and measured within the Human Economy. The onset of inflation and poor economy is a direct result of Humans claiming the ability to create value.According to the author, a favorite word of the industrial