11 July 2009
Bring us your joy
And the varieties of circumstances which influence these reciprocal interests are so endless, that all endeavour to deduce rules of action from balance of expediency is in vain. And it is meant to be in vain. For no human actions were ever intended by the maker of men to be guided by balances of expediency, but by balances of justice. (John Ruskin – Unto This Last)
Economics and finance are an art and a craft which ask us to bring our greed, fear, anger ad mistrust to the fore and, through perverse incentives, drive us to separate ourselves emotionally and intellectually from other human beings.
This blog is about the humane side of economics, as seen through the lens of media, art and design. I won’t leave out the pragmatic, complex or difficult aspects of economics or argue based on unrealistic or naïve models. Instead I expect our understanding of work, marketing, sales and economics to be based on the premise that our lives and work should bring us joy, meaning, satisfaction and compassion.
I’m looking forward to writing about:
Digital and virtual value
Publishing and art in a digital economy
Romer’s theories on new growth and how they apply to media and software
Akerlof’s ideas on the quality of a market
The consequences, good and bad, of piracy
How to deal with and use those consequences
How economic forces shape art, style and writing on the web
And more, of course. Hope you will find it useful, relevant and, more than anything else, optimistic.
