d'Anconia Posted February 20, 2011 Report Share Posted February 20, 2011 If this topic is not serious enough for this forum feel free to delete it. It's purpose is to simply post links of people making bad arguments much like this one: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted February 20, 2011 Report Share Posted February 20, 2011 He asks us to re-think the model of teaching people in poor countries "to fish". He asks us to consider what this approach implies. He is correct in saying that it implies that the poor man getting our aid is sitting by a river full of fish, eating the fish donated to him, and asking: "how do I get those out? I suppose I should wait for the white man to tell me." The only reason this sounds funny and inappropriate is if we take the term "fish" literally. Otherwise, exactly what we have in Africa and many other poor places is people who at some level are aware of all the great things produced by modern civilization, and yet do not understand how to get there. The only fundamental answer to the problems of these places is to have a proper rights-respecting political system. Anyone who wishes to help Africa should put their mind to that task, not to Bill Gates' style unimaginative approaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted February 20, 2011 Report Share Posted February 20, 2011 He acts like this idea that cooperatives work is new. Of course the work to a degree. Markets haven't been around forever, and a lot of stuff was done through a tribal model. Still doesn't mean that they are as good as markets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KyleM Posted February 20, 2011 Report Share Posted February 20, 2011 Anyone interested in Ostrom's argument and evidence she has gathered in support of her position can find it here - http://nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=1223 A lot of what she is saying comes down to the old Greek ideal that "Small is Beautiful". I think Aristotle would have a heart attack if he knew we have democracies with citizens in the tens and hundreds of millions, her lecture points to a lot of what I think he would say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d'Anconia Posted February 21, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2011 Another "insightful" and to me hilarious video... Should I not be amused by this nonsense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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