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Bionomics argues that what we call
capitalism (or free-market economics) is not an ism
at all but a naturally occurring phenomenon. It is the way
human society spontaneously organizes itself for survival
in a world of limited resources. Capitalism was not planned;
like life itself, it did not need to be. It just happened,
and it will keep on happening.
Marxism, on the other hand, has its own
theory to explain why it should work, although it never
seems to work in practice. Capitalism lacks a theory, but
for all its flaws, it continues to outperform planned or
politically directed economies. By explaining the ecology
of capitalism (its cooperative as well as competitive relationships),
Bionomics offers the first coherent view of the historical
forces that are propelling the worldwide trend toward free-market
economies.
Drawing on the science of evolutionary ecology
and his own experience as a high-tech entrepreneur and consultant
to leading corporations, Michael Rothschild challenges conventional
thinking to provide an entirely new explanation of our economic
past and probable future. He argues that "on a day
in-day out basis, biologic and economic life are organized
and operate in much the same way: In the biologic environment,
genetic information is the basis of all life. In the economic
environment, technological information, captured in books,
data bases, and the know-how of millions of individuals,
is the ultimate source of all economic life."
Looking at the economy through the prism
of contemporary biology, Mr. Rothschild challenges conservatives
and liberals to move beyond ideology and to rethink government's
role in fostering a prosperous and compassionate society.
And, most important, Bionomics explains how we can
take advantage of fundamental economic forces to help solve
our most pressing problems, including:
- Regaining our position of world economic
leadership
- Making Americans investors and savers,
not just spenders
- Finding the economic incentives to reduce
poverty, homelessness, and environmental disasters
- Reversing the failures of our public
schools
Michael Rothschild earned his law and
MBA degrees simultaneously at Harvard. Formerly with the
Boston Consulting Group, he now directs the San Francisco
office of the Cambridge Meridian Group, a firm specializing
in competitive planning for corporations experiencing rapid
technological change. A decade ago, after noticing several
uncanny similarities between economic and ecologic phenomena,
he began the research and study of biology that led to the
writing of Bionomics.
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