{"id":992,"date":"2009-04-13T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2009-04-13T04:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.synapse9.com\/signals\/?p=992"},"modified":"2009-04-13T00:00:29","modified_gmt":"2009-04-13T04:00:29","slug":"soddy-physical-world-problem-make-the-ny-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/synapse9.com\/signals\/soddy-physical-world-problem-make-the-ny-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Soddy & physical world problem make the NY Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

re:\u00a0Mr. Soddy\u2019s Ecological Economy <\/a>NY Times Op-Ed, Sun 4\/12, mentioned by Tom in a LinkedIn \u201cGlobal Foresight\u201d conversation.<\/p>\n

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Tom,
\nThanks for mentioning the Times Op-Ed, It\u2019s just great some mention of Soddy and the \u201cphysical world problem\u201d finally appeared in the Times. \u00a0 As I find so often, I agree with his analysis of the problem,\u00a0about 110%, but that I find is as far as it goes!<\/p>\n

You might be interested to know that J.M. Keynes and Kenneth Boulding also came to very similar end conclusions. Each used their own language for it, but each at least would agree firmly that 1) economies are physical systems, and 2) at natural limits something would need to be done about excess savings of financial capital.<\/p>\n

The positive feedback of savings multiplying savings is limitless, as long as the economy generates profits.\u00a0<\/h3>\n

I had independently come to that view studying what limits befall growth systems generally, how they alter their own environments, in the late 70’s. \u00a0 I began formalizing a general physics of natural systems with that as a starting point in 1985. \u00a0It centers around what I still think is a definitive theorem for what’s needed to avert a natural collapse of our economic environment.<\/p>\n

The versions of the solutions offered by Soddy, Keynes & Boulding each focus on different hidden aspects of the same problem. \u00a0 My work focused on one more of the hidden culprits. \u00a0The others either\u00a0didn’t\u00a0quite see the one I found, or thought it could only be mentioned at a later stage politically.<\/p>\n

redesigning the economic system to be compatible with the physical world and its natural limits.<\/h2>\n

I tend to think it needs to be mentioned up front, or “fixing the system” will be unrealistic, and won\u2019t go anywhere. The central hidden problem I noticed is that the whole idea of having low risk bets, where investments are all assured to yield a positive % return, is:<\/p>\n