From J K Galbraith in 2002:
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
That says most of what's needed.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
It does say most of what is needed. So perhaps lets have the rest:
‘’The modern conservative is engaged in one of man’s oldest exercises in moral philosophy, that is the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. It is an exercise which always involves a certain number of internal contradictions and even a few absurdities. The conspicuously wealthy turn up urging the character-building value of privation for the poor.’’
It helps you understand exactly where Ian Duncan Smith et al are coming from.
Thanks!
Why are their no Glabraiths around anymore? There’s no-one with any intellectual gravitas in Governments these days. They were a different breed!
The son of J K Galbraith is a leading writer on Modern Monetary Theory.
I have found Joseph Stiglitz, the former head of the World bank, has a keen sense of fairness as well an impressive grasp of issues and the alternatives to the ‘Washington Consensus”.
He also endorsed my book on tax havens!
Richard
Galbraith had great humanity. This has entirely disappeared from the political scene where ‘vicious capitalism is the norm. The passion for economic reform must be left to individuals like Richard on this site and others who must tirelessly try to prize open the droopy eyelids of the sleepwalkers that are the British public.
Here’s another gem of Galbraith, very pertinent to the function of this site:
People are the common denominator of progress. So, paucis verbis, no improvement is possible with unimproved people, and advance is certain when people are liberated and educated. It would be wrong to dismiss the importance of roads, railroads, power plants, mills, and the other familiar furniture of economic development. At some stages of development – the stage that India and Pakistan have reached, for example – they are central to the strategy of development. But we are coming to realize, I think, that there is a certain sterility in economic monuments that stand alone in a sea of illiteracy. Conquest of illiteracy comes first.
Just to clarify the above quote’s intention, I meant it was the function of this site to educate and challenge economic illiteracy – not that this site was illiterate!(Far from it!).
Precisely what is wrong with being selfish?
Nothing, so long as you love your neighbour as yourself
Love yourself as much as you like, so long as you share the gain
Sorry, I do not live in a theocracy.
That is not theocracy
That is in every human wisdom tradition
Selfishness is not
A big question Todd. I’ll try to answer. The truly selfish have little connection with others-they distance themselves; others are objects to be used for gratifying the ego. They miss out on those moments of sharing in the achievements of others e.g. grandchildren growing in strength and wisdom. They can gain the whole world but not grow their own soul.
I must add that not loving yourself, always putting others first can be self destructive. We were advised by Jesus to love as neighbour as ourselves-not more and not less! We need our self respect and this usually built by our moral code.
it is also true that no one can give you happiness, it must be created within oneself. But we do know human beings cannot thrive without love. Neglected babies’ brain have structural differences and their potential is harmed. It is the way we are.
Agreed
So, if I am selfish today to be able to ensure my grandchildren grow up and have every opportunity to grow in strength and wisdom, I am wrong?
Save your religion for yourself (happily so), don’t push it on others. Especially when it comes to ALL aspects of religion. In for a penny, in for a pound…..
Yes, you are wrong
Your grandchildren can only grow in strength and wisdom if those around them do so as well
Do you consider it to be a virtue?
Perhaps you are a follower of Ayn Rand?
If the latter is so, then there are plenty of other blogs that you can contribute to, more in line with your world view.
‘’Selfishness is the father of all evil. Selfishness is the real enemy of peace.’’ – Siddhartha Gautama
Hi Richard
According to this, Republican voting states in the US are more generous than Democrat voting ones:
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/opinion/perspectives/nicholas-d-kristof-liberal-tightwads-626205/
(and it is not plausible to suggest Mr Kristofis any way biased to the right).
And this — the World Giving Index, looking at the generosity of countries
https://www.cafonline.org/PDF/WorldGivingIndex2012WEB.pdf
The top 10 seems dominated by Anglo-Saxon countries — Oz, NZ, US, Canada, UK and Ireland are all there. There isn’t a socialist country (or former Communist country) in the top 10 and only Turkmenistan makes it into the top 20. Some of the bastions of free markets (Hong Kong) are represented in the top 20. And the wealth of the country doesn’t appear a factor, given there as some countries listed high up (e.g. Sri Lanka, Liberia) which are not wealthy countries.
How do you explain these? My suggestion (which I have heard from friends from the former Soviet bloc) is that high state involvement crowds out the sense of voluntary neighbourliness.
How about the income distribution of those in these economies is so massively distorted and the public rewards for giving so high in a Veblenesque style that giving is in fact conspicuous consumption?
Your logic in that analysis is just wrong
Tories love Charity – it hides the inequity of their economic theories. The Tories are praising the proliferation of foodbanks as a sign of the Big Society!!!
Charity should not be a fashion accessory or done for self-aggrandisement It then becomes as Clement Attlee described “..a cold grey loveless thing….”
The Tories need reminding that “…If a rich man wants to help the poor, he should pay his taxes gladly, not dole out money at a whim.”
Or to paraphrase a quote I read from the Monbiot site recently; Rich people charitably giving to the poor allows them to ignore what makes them poor in the first place.
There may be conspicuous giving. But what do we make of the recent report about charitable giving in America? Apparently the top 20% of earners give 1.2% of earnings but the bottom 20% give 3.2%.
This trend is well known in the UK too – and has been for years