tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774848724259616420.post1464455203398848895..comments2023-12-19T19:28:28.619-08:00Comments on Wealth is not the Problem: It's still getting better!HaynesBEhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263223513305886233noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774848724259616420.post-70856933118375214092009-01-19T09:11:00.000-08:002009-01-19T09:11:00.000-08:00Hi Burgess, Thanks for your point that progress is...Hi Burgess, <BR/><BR/>Thanks for your point that progress is not inevitable. Of course not--otherwise there would not have been the Dark Ages after Rome and other such set backs which have occurred throughout history. Progress is not automatic nor inevitable, but I still think that from a "big picture" point of view, the overall trend, so far, has been toward greater freedom and a higher standard of living. Improving our understanding of why and how is a large part of what I am trying to do with this blog and why I chose its theme: "Wealth is not the problem. Poverty is the problem. Wealth is the solution."<BR/>The inquiry then needs to be: what are the conditions which foster wealth (both spiritual and material.) And for that, I like your formula: the freedom to act rationally.HaynesBEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11263223513305886233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774848724259616420.post-25672108121291831042009-01-19T07:12:00.000-08:002009-01-19T07:12:00.000-08:00I am only a beginning student of the history of th...I am only a beginning student of the history of the Enlightenment period in Europe. One characteristic of that period that stands out is the continuation of scientific and other forms of progress--amidst recurring plagues, wars, and economic debacles.<BR/><BR/>The point is that the "forces" that drive some forms of progress are coming from a different wellspring than the man-made problems. <BR/><BR/>Knowing that allows me to be somewhat hopeful. But it would likewise be a mistake to slip into thinking that progress is inevitable. It isn't. It has causes--ultimately, the freedom to act rationally.Burgess Laughlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13865479709475171678noreply@blogger.com