Book Review: The New Human Rights Movement: Reinventing the Economy to End Oppression by Peter Joseph
This is a must read proposal for establishing a sustainable and just economy and society. Peter Joseph skillfully identifies the causes of our current malady—describing with unique clarity the origins and effects of the usual suspects of global warming, institutional racism, and extreme wealth inequity. The solutions the author provides may not be the first that come to mind, but a convincing case is made for each of them firmly establishing that these are practicable courses of action.
The proposals in this book are the boldest I’ve seen from a serious author. For example, Joseph says Piketty does not go far enough with only a wealth tax—if that doesn’t get your attention, it’s hard to imagine what would. Also notable is the shout out to Jeremy Rifkin, author or The Green New Deal: Why the Fossil Fuel Civilization Will Collapse by 2028, and the Bold Economic Plan to Save Life on Earth. Although the two authors may not have collaborated on their respective works, both together present a powerful road map to a better life on earth for everyone.
One of the several concepts presented peculiar to Joseph’s book that is often overlooked is the value of the open source ethos. Although some software companies such as IBM and Microsoft have embraced open source software, implementing this commons type approach to all business intellectual property (IP) is a significant departure from current economic orthodoxy. Imagine the implications of this regarding Oracle’s Java APIs, Monsanto’s GMO seeds, or the electronics and equipment designs of any number of manufacturers. There is synergy from a well run commons that is not possible from closed systems, and still plenty of profit to go around. It would I think neutralize IP theft by hostile foreign entities (arguably assisted by the victim companies’ own greed), by changing the nature of the stolen IP. Patent trolls would be nonexistent in this world, further accelerating innovation.
Undergirding all of this is a fully implemented universal basic income and health care, independent of employment status. The invisible hand, in which all societal needs are served solely by each person pursuing individual interests, is exposed as a fiction that is as inapplicable in the 21st century as it was in the 18th. Joseph ably outlines how humanity has evolved from the hunter-gatherer societies to organized agriculture and the resultant inequities that followed from that—the current system that has existed for several thousand years (including its authoritarian aspects) is now collapsing under its own weight. The next step in the evolution of economics is in view—let’s go there sooner than later, and prosper.
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