The Invisible Hand Needs Some Help

Over 200 years ago, Adam Smith proclaimed, "I have never known much good done by those who affected to trade for the public good." Rather, he asserted that when any given business owner or consumer "intends only his own gain, [he] frequently promotes that of the society more effectually than when he really intends to promote it." Thus, in "pursuing his own interest," he will be "led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention."

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Posted by green thinking  on  05/22  at  01:14 AM

The major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, particularly in the industrialized countries. Developed countries must take the lead in achieving sustainable consumption.

Posted by Bob Gusford  on  05/31  at  11:19 PM

Sure, the invisible hand always takes care of things, but it's the transition process that hurts. The Global Food and Energy Crisis when it hits will catch a lot of people off-guard. The role of government should always be to prepare its citizenry before crisis hits. When globalization was/is a big issue, the role of government should've been to prepare or train its citizenry to compete in the world market. Now with the food and energy crisis, the best training is to reduce consumption levels, becoming leaner and more efficient at utilizing our current food and energy inputs.

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