First of all it's kind of relieving to see that not every educated economist believes in this insane rat-race most of us are part of. It deals basically with the question why we haven't become happier alhtough Western society is the richest society which ever existed. Layard suggests that we have 'false Gods' and that 'getting ahead' doesn't really get us anywhere except to family break-ups (sorry was to busy getting ahead), disturbed children (sorry have neither time nor the energy to actually care), crime (sorry I don't know you that's why I can steal from you) and so on.
In his opinion the goal of every society should be to increase happiness instead of economic growth. Employers would therefore think twice about cutting jobs, forcing people to commute, pressurize with unrealistic goals and so on.
What's also pretty cool is that Layard doesn't seem to be the only star economists who thinks that way. Another one is Amartya Sen, the Nobel Prize winner 1998.
I do agree with almost anything he says but I'm not sure if the world is ready for this. As if to prove that we don't learn anything from history Layard is being critized or not taken seriously all over the place, just like Galilei and other famous scientists have hundreds or thousands of years before.
Well there is one good thing: Layard won't get incarcerated for his believes. A minor step forward. Maybe we nevertheless learn something from history. Even if it's at a very slow pace.
1 comment:
maybe we should all do that...
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