Re: Hawking & Deming: Boiling the Human Caldron

[John <jsdwd@ksc.th.com>]

On 12/5/02 12:39 AM, "Stein" <stein.smaaland@sys.no> wrote:
> December 3rd, John Dowd mentioned Popper, and yes, please send us/me
> your suggested references. I have so far only read general introductory
> books on his theory of  falsificationism, and conjectures, though still
> finding science rational.
> And thanks for George Soros's The Crisis of Global Capitalism.

With regard to Popper I would suggest his books:

The Logic of Scientific Discovery, 1934 in German, 1959 in English,
Hutchinson.

Conjectures and Refutation, 1963, Routledge and Keegan Paul.

Postscript to the Logic of Scientific Discovery, 1982 Hutchinson, W. W.
Bartley, Ed.

Also, Fontana Press (UK) has a series Modern Masters.  Among the offerings
is one on Popper by Bryan Magee, a well known historian of British
philosophy (also, writer, broadcaster, MP).  The volume on Popper was first
published in 1973 and has a good overview of Popper's work.

As I mentioned Popper was well known as a philosopher of science, but is
perhaps better known today as a social philosopher.  His work, The Open
Society and Its Enemies is a classic.  That work, as I mentioned, profoundly
affected George Soros not only in the development of his economic and
financial strategies (see The Alchemy of Finance by Soros), but also has
informed his philanthropy which is extensive.  He continues to fund many
"Open Society" projects around the world.

As was mentioned a good beginning book on his ideas is The  Crisis of Global
Capitalism, 1998, Perseus.  More recently, he has published On
Globalization, 2002, Public Affairs (Perseus Books Group).

I don't agree with much of what he advocates as solutions (he depends too
much on inspection...), but his viewpoint is well worth reading and his
description of the problem is quite good in my opinion.  Also along the
globalization vein, I recommend:

False Dawn, John Gray

The Lexus and the Olive Tree, Thomas Friedman (Pulitzer Prize winning
foreign affairs writer for NY Times)

The Coming Anarchy by Robert D. Kaplan (a somewhat depressing, but
compelling book).

I would then call your attention to Page 5 of Out of the Crisis to the
section sub-headed, "Need Any Country be Poor?"  To Quote:

"If Japan be an example, then it is possible that any country with enough
people and good management, making products suited to their talents and the
market, need not be poor....The wealth of a nation depends on its people,
management and government, more than on its natural resources.  The problem
is where to find good management."

I think finding good government is also a problem, but the point seems clear
to me.  Deming is offering a strategy for any country to lift itself from
poverty.  Just imagine the implications of that to today's world.  It is
staggering.

John Dowd
jsdwd@ispwest.com