by Naresh Jotwani
An earlier blog post (here) argued that the ideology of ‘capitalism’ is no more than a cover for insatiable greed. The present post describes the media psy-ops which ‘capitalist rulers’ carry out 24×7 upon the host society. This post is based on the goings-on within ‘the sole superpower’, but clearly similar tactics are also seen elsewhere — because people are people, and societies are societies.
Continue reading MEGAPHONES AS POLICYby Naresh Jotwani
Today the world has literally ‘lost it’ over the word capitalism.
While that may seem to be an overstatement, it can be justified quite easily. Only some clear thinking is needed, founded on words which – unlike capitalism – are rooted in reality.
Continue reading CAPITALISM: A STRANGE WORDby Naresh Jotwani
At first sight, one may be forgiven for thinking that ‘civilized’ means well-behaved, wise, educated … or some nice-sounding combination thereof. A little reflection, however, shows that the word is not so well-defined.
Continue reading Civilized? Really?by Naresh Jotwani
It is difficult to make predictions, especially about the future — attributed variously to Nostradamus, Niels Bohr and Yogi Berra.
The year is 2050 CE, and the country is Muskovia, the most prosperous and ‘advanced’ country in the history of mankind. AI has been deployed throughout the country to make up for the huge population decline of the previous decades.
Continue reading MUSKOVIA @ 2050 CEby Naresh Jotwani
The surplus capital of any healthy society should, in theory, energize the economy, and enable the society to face present and likely future challenges. In the process, the surplus capital generates both consumption and employment. A king, for example, may build a dam, a road or a fort; a rich man may build a school. In all such ‘traditional’ cases, the nominal owner of the capital is directly involved in seeing that the capital is deployed beneficially.
This basic concept of surplus capital is neither new nor complicated. Over the last few centuries, however, several cunning ‘advances’ on this basic concept have, in effect, turned the concept on its head. Incredibly, surplus capital now adds not to the well-being but to the exploitation of a society!
Continue reading MACHINERY OF GLOBAL FINANCEby Naresh Jotwani
Soon after the previous post was published on this blog, we came across the definition of a so-called Social Well-being Index (SWI), introduced by a group within Russia. Briefly, the SWI index is based on these criteria: life expectancy, infant mortality rate, homicide rate, total fertility, income inequality, education level.
Continue reading SOCIAL WELL-BEING INDEXby Naresh Jotwani
This post is an invitation to readers to consider new ways to assess how wisely a society spends the resources available to it. The post is not a ‘scholarly research paper’, as that phrase is understood, but merely an essay. [Note 1]
Continue reading HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PER DOLLARby Naresh Jotwani
From behind the curtain, global finance drives global politics, exploitation and conflict. To understand the nature of this ruthless game, we need to look at how human societies form and how they function. Our previous post (here) discussed how individuals may be subject to different types of pressure, and how they may adapt or respond. Since individuals are shaped by their upbringing and their societies, the societal aspects of human life are highly relevant.
Continue reading GAMES OF GLOBAL FINANCE (Part 3)by Ashok Jain
Foreword
Guest author Ashok Jain (brief profile here) has followed up on Jayram’s post by pointing out the crucial association between Democracy and Dharma.
While no system is perfect, democracy is better than the other forms of government which have been tried, such as autocracy, feudalism, communism, fascism, religious fanaticism et cetera. Democracy is ingrained in Indian political and religious thought from times immemorial, quite simply because it is ingrained in the concept of Dharma. Dharma provides a sense of fairness in society – as against blind adherence to rules and laws. Additional societal values infused by Dharma are equality, fraternity and justice for all.
Continue reading Democracy as Dharmaby Jayram Daya
Editors’ foreword:
Today we see tensions and conflicts in many parts of the world, caused by internal strife and external pressures, which affect the lives of ordinary people. The former colonial order has disintegrated, giving way to countries which – in theory – are sovereign. A sovereign country should aim to improve the lives of her citizens, but the country is also affected by pressures from the outside. Meanwhile, the old colonial powers find their own backyards affected by globalization, leading to backlash against immigrants. Western power is being challenged by emerging nations which have come together to resist hegemony and improve the lives of their citizens.
We all seem to be visited by that famous Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times!
In this context, our friend Jayram Daya shares his insights from his hometown of Standerton in South Africa. Readers are invited to post their views as comments.
Continue reading Whither democracy?
seeker-of-root-causes 