Tuesday, August 7, 2007

How Business Builds Civilization

1. It promotes a universal language and international community
2. It promotes the tolerance of other races, religions and customs
3. It creates the wealth that funds culture, worship, education and public policy
4. It satisfies the demands of all the population, not just the wealthiest and most powerful

Other ideas?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

5- It extends the human life.

6- It increases individual odds in order to survive.

Ben Asa Rast said...

You bring up an important subject: the biological and cultural basis of business.

A lot of previously puzzling human behavior is explained by the the combination of biology and culture, what Matt Ridley calls "Nature via Nuture."

Business, i.e. the process of trade and wealth creation, improves an individual's odds of survival. That improves his or her odds of successfully caring for the people who are most important to him or her, usually family and close friends.

In effect, wealth creation satisfies the biological imperative to survive, and the imperative to successfully produce another generation.