About our banner's quail

  • Titled "California Party," it's an image of a watercolor by artist Roger Folk (used with his permission). It and twenty wonderful others of his, all scenes of nature, can be ordered by emailing Roger Folk at [email protected]. They are 3 in. x 18 in., free of the low resolution of the above image, and priced at $17.50 + $4 shipping.

The Friend You've Been Waiting For

  • The friend you've been waiting for has also been waiting for you. Meet each other at your local animal shelter.

Who runs this blog?

  • The Saunterer. That's me, H. Charles Romesburg, Professor in the Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University. As part of my research I saunter through the writings of especially creative people, keeping an eye open for insightful ideas on subjects that are joined with great goodness and creativity. I will in this blog present ideas from the writings of more than three hundred of these creators: painters, scientists, mathematicians, entrepreneurs, writers, poets, naturalists, actors, rock climbers and more. Among the subjects that will be covered: How workers in most every vocation and avocation can work as artists do, creating use, beauty, or both, of rare note. How regularly experiencing wild nature makes us better creators. How it is that the more all forms of life come to be revered, the more creative society will be. For some of the other subjects that will be covered, click on cnr.usu.edu/romesburg

« Planting trees is not a cure for global warming | Main | Wassily Kandinsky on what art is for »

December 07, 2007

Comments

I agree with Pais. The key word here is "untrammeled." Capitalism is a fair allocation mechanism in our imperfect world if it is restricted to defined channels by strong, constantly maintained, levees. Otherwise it has proven to be destructive. The levees are built first upon a social commitment to a comprehensive ethical code. But until our ethics and information are perfected, capitalism must also be restrained by law.

One of the most serious issues of our time is the emergence of free-trade agreements that are not restrained by ethics or the force of defensible law. Proponents argue that economic development will counter any problems that may emerge. This is highly suspect as a growing avalanche of empirical evidence suggests.

To use another analogy, real economic development happens in a balanced way, almost like the growth of a tree. The roots are the ethical foundation. The law is the stem. And, the leaves and fruit are the economic activities themselves. Free trade proponents want the fruit, but they are unwilling to nourish the stem and the roots. The benefits of trade without a strong stem and root system are deceiving. In time, the tree will die unless it receives holistic attention.


The comments to this entry are closed.

Books by H. Charles Romesburg

  • H. Charles Romesburg: The Life of the Creative Spirit

    H. Charles Romesburg: The Life of the Creative Spirit
    Practically all of the quotations in this blog's posts are collected in "The Life of the Creative Spirit."

  • H. Charles Romesburg: How About It, Writer?

    H. Charles Romesburg: How About It, Writer?
    Based on a study of more than 12,000 essays from the very best literary magazines, this book provides writers with lists of thousands of classic forms of opening sentences, titles, transition sentences, ways of saying "for example," and ways of closing nonfiction pieces. When you are writing an essay and want a hint for a better or fresh way of saying what you mean, looking through the lists acts on the imagination, stimulating your creativity. From Lulu Press (ISBN 1-4116-2862-4, 194 pp., softback), it's $16.95 when ordered from Lulu.com/Romesburg , and $22.95 from bookstores. To view its cover, click on www.cnr.usu.edu/romesburg/how_about_it_writer.htm To view its title page, contents, and first two chapters, click on: www.cnr.usu.edu/romesburg/how_about_it_writer_preview.pdf

  • H Charles Romesburg: Best Research Practices

    H Charles Romesburg: Best Research Practices
    The Saunterer’s new book (2009), Best Research Practices explains how to plan and carry out reliable experiments, how to conceive and circumstantially support research hypotheses, how to test research hypotheses with the hypothetico-deductive method, how to discover cause and effect, and more. It’s based on his examination of 5,000 top scientific articles, studying the methods used to produce reliable knowledge. Preview it on-line by going to the following link: http://print.google.com/print?isbn=9780557017836

Blog powered by Typepad