The actual economic system works under the premise that if each one seeks its own selfish goals, an "invisible hand" provides the better for the whole. It should be the other way around: if everyone seeks what is better for the whole, an invisible hand will provide what is better for oneself. The issue here is how do you do that, considering that humans DO have greed and selfishness as part of their dark side.
Trying to change people in order to change the economic system seems the most sensitive way, but then again, how do you change people, if they are built this way? When Adam Smith made his theory, he was in fact taking human nature as is, and trying to find what would work best given that nature. His conclusion and theory, after 200 years of practice now seems a bit naïve. Capitalism does create wealth, and does distribute wealth, but far from fair and far from just, so that anyone can have a decent living by the sole forces of economy.
The central issue in my opinion is to acknowledge human nature weaknesses and transform them into strengths. Yes, we are selfish and greedy, but can we transform selfishness and greed into a POSITIVE force?
I believe I have found the answer in:
- Some of the WWW business models and changes of paradigms,
- Metcalfe´s law, a Law of Telecommunications which I found can be applied to human activities as well,
- John Nash´s equilibrium, which deals with the issue of gaining more with a win/win strategy rather than a win/lose strategy, and
- The Motivation at Work Theory by Juan Antonio Pérez López
http://www.scoop.it/t/knowledge-economy/p/1995163489/on-knowledge-society-is-it-possible-to-transform-human-greed-and-selfishness-into-a-positive-economic-force-that-would-create-more-and-better-jobs/original On Knowledge Society: Is it possible to transform human greed and selfishness into a positive economic force that would create more and better jobs?
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