Amazon.com
Despite its sensational title, David Bach's The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich is not a get-rich-quick guide. Rather, the book is a straightforward march through common-sense personal financial planning that suggests readers "automate" their contributions to retirement and investment vehicles. Bach, in fact, calls his model the "tortoise approach" to becoming wealthy by retirement age.
In the early part of the book Bach builds on ideas he established in Smart Women Finish Rich and other bestselling titles. His core principle is that, to succeed, you must "Pay Yourself First." In other words, he suggests using pre-tax retirement accounts (i.e. 401(k)s, IRAs, or Roth IRAs) to set aside a fixed, monthly sum of money before considering what is left for living expenses. The "automatic" part of the title comes from Bach's emphasis on using automated payroll deductions to avoid the temptation of using the money to pay today's bills.
Bach insists that "regardless of the size of your paycheck, you probably already make enough money to become rich." But his claims that his plan requires "no budget, no discipline," is a bit disingenuous. His discussion of the "The Latte Factor" shows that, to find money to start a retirement plan, a person with a modest income needs to make an up-front commitment to stop accruing debt and to reduce spending on such "wasteful" items as lattes and cigarettes.
In the end The Automatic Millionaire does not offer much that is new for readers already familiar with personal finance basics like accelerated mortgage payments, "the miracle of compound interest," and the setting up of emergency funds. But, for those just starting with financial planning, Bach provides a host of resources to put recommendations into action. He walks his readers through such fundamentals as shopping for interest rates, creating a balanced retirement portfolio, and consolidating debt. And Bach's conversational style will make this quick read highly palatable for those daunted by more detailed investment and personal finance titles. --Patrick O'Kelley
Book Description
What’s the secret to becoming a millionaire?
For years people have asked David Bach, the national bestselling author of Smart Women Finish Rich, Smart Couples Finish Rich, and The Finish Rich Workbook, what’s the real secret to getting rich? What’s the one thing I need to do?
Now, in The Automatic Millionaire, David Bach is sharing that secret.
The Automatic Millionaire starts with the powerful story of an average American
couple--he’s a low-level manager, she’s a beautician--whose joint income never exceeds $55,000 a year, yet who somehow manage to own two homes debt-free, put two kids through college, and retire at 55 with more than $1 million in savings. Through their story you’ll learn the surprising fact that you cannot get rich with a budget! You have to have a plan to pay yourself first that is totally automatic, a plan that will automatically secure your future and pay for your present.
What makes The Automatic Millionaire unique:
You don’t need a budget
You don’t need willpower
You don’t need to make a lot of money
You don’t need to be that interested in money
You can set up the plan in an hour
David Bach gives you a totally realistic system, based on timeless principles, with everything you need to know, including phone numbers and websites, so you can put the secret to becoming an Automatic Millionaire in place from the comfort of your own home.
This one little book has the power to secure your financial future. Do it once--the rest is automatic!
Download Description
Bestselling financial advisor David Bach brings us his proven, revolutionary system that in one hour will make readers -- even those not smart about money, not disciplined or budget-minded -- rich.
The Automatic Millionaire shows readers how to change financial practices and financial lives, beginning with a powerful story of an average American couple -- he's a low-level manager, she's a teacher -- whose joint income never exceeds $55,000 a year, yet who somehow manage to own two homes debt-free, put two kids through college, and retire at 55 with more than $1 million in savings. The incredible message Bach delivers is that the key to getting rich is by "automating" the way to wealth by "paying yourself first," using automatic funded retirement accounts and money market accounts to secure the future and pay for the present.
In a short book destined for bestseller lists, The Automatic Millionaire introduces readers to a system that is powerfully simple, and automatically effective, a life-changing system that delivers. Do it once, the rest is automatic.
"The Automatic Millionaire is an automatic winner. David Bach really cares about you: on every page you can hear him cheering you on to financial fitness. No matter who you are or what your income is, you can benefit from this easy-to-apply program. Do it now. You and your loved ones deserve big bucks!"
KEN BLANCHARD, CO-AUTHOR OF THE ONE MINUTE MANAGER
"The Automatic Millionaire gives you, step by step, everything you need to secure your financial future. When you do it David Bach's way, failure is not an option."
JEAN CHATZKY, FINANCIAL EDITOR, NBC'S TODAY
"David Bach's no spin financial advice is beautiful because it's so simple. If becoming self-sufficient is important to you then this book is a must."
BILL O'REILLY, ANCHOR, FOX NEWS, AND AUTHOR OF
WHO'S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU?
Customer Reviews:
I wish my parents knew this.............2007-08-31
And then they could have taught me. This is so logical and easy, it is stupid that it isn't taught as "Post-Adult Survival, 101". This is the way to create your retirement without missing anything.
And about the time you are fifty, you will be able to look back and smile because you are able to retire, and young enough to enjoy it. It should be illegal to NOT make this book mandatory reading for high school seniors.
The Automatic Millionaire is One of the Greatest Eyeopeners Ever!.......2007-08-25
Life-Changing. This book is truly life-changing! When I first read it, I understood what has held 80% of all Americans back financially speaking which is not understanding the power of saving, the constructive used of compound interest and the total avoidance of credit card debt. Though I found it hard to believe when I read the title, I saw upon reading that it is indeed possible to to become an automatic millionaire through a very creative and powerful savings plan exercised over 10, 20 or 30 years.
This book is MUST reading along with these other classic in the field of personal success and money:
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth
TRANSFORMING DEBT INTO WEALTH
Rich Dad Poor Dad Classics - 3 Copy Boxed Set (Rich Dad)
David Bach's book should be required reading in every high school business class. Thank you Mr. Bach for opening our eyes to the path of financial independence.
The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich.......2007-08-10
This is a very good basic financial book. It will help not only those who are young, but those who are older. It is full of great ideas to teach us to save money. I liked it so well I ordered one for each of my children.
Usefulness depends on level of reader.......2007-08-03
I bought this book about a year ago and read it pretty quickly. I've read most of the classic personal investing books, so for me, this book is sort of an insult to my intelligence. I just read it again since it's a quick read and I'm still not impressed with it.
If you know little about investing (i.e. if you don't know how to calculate future value on a financial calculator) then I imagine this would be a good book to get a basic understanding of the importance of saving and the miracle of compound interest. I also imagine, as some reviewers have mentioned, that this book would be a good gift for a college grad (if not a business major) or a couple just starting out (if you feel they have no clue about money).
This is just "The Wealthy Barber" repackaged and even more elementary. I can sum this book up in one sentence: forgo the coffee and invest the money in mutual funds. The rest is just filler.
If you really want to read a book on investing, John Bogle's "Common Sense on Mutual Funds" is the best for the mutual fund investor. It will take a little more intellectual curiosity to get through, but the man (who started the Vanguard family of mutual funds) is a genius and you will have a much better understanding of the necessity, risks, and rewards of investing for having read it.
If You're in Junior High School...........2007-08-02
"The Auto-Matic Millionaire" is for neophytes starting out (regardless of age) but it could have gone farther. If this book has the information you need it can be helpful. But it barely scratches the surface.
In addition to the "pay yourself first" DCA (dollar-cost averaging), compound interest, and numerous financial website addresses, there is continuous advice of: "save something, and don't spend all your money." This has now become the too-late (attention Baby Boomers) national anthem of the United States. But nobody's really listening.
Author David Bach presents an occasional chart to illustrate the mathematical factual points. One basic chart on compound interest used 3 examples of three hypothetical people named "Billy, Susan and Kim" who start compounding at the ages of 15, 19, and 27. And yes, time is of the essence. The more of it the better. We know starting early provides enormous advantages down the road. But there is something missing in this chart on page 49. In the compound interest model, if managed mutual funds are used with 12b-1 fees, portfolio turnover costs and taxes, the returns are reduced drastically. Many of these fees are hidden. The total Expense Ratios must be carefully perused. They significantly eat into returns over time. Time not your friend anymore, and becomes your enemy.
Bach's note of the time and financial saving on paying a bi-weekly mortgage instead of once per month is helpful (page 181) but still widely known by just about anyone with, a mortgage.
Pay yourself first: old news here. We hope that we workin' folks would pay ourselves first. There is an outlined grid that can be xeroxed and filled out where one can list the money spent and/or wasted and tallied up at the end of the week. Want to know how to hire the right financial planner? This info, you won't find. You'll have to go to the author's website.
Again, this book doesn't go too deep. The information contained in it can be found on the web or via Bob Brinker for free. This isn't necessarily negative, because this small book contains lots of information in a portable paperback, that can benefit a junior high school student. But your tiny home calculator can compute compound interest just as well as this book.
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Life Management Book
- A Lifetime Guide
- What's important in your life?
- great getting it together tool
- Good Book
|
First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy
Stephen R. Covey ,
A. Roger Merrill , and
Rebecca R. Merrill
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Time Management
| Skills
| Business & Investing
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Leadership
| Management & Leadership
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Management
| Management & Leadership
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Entrepreneurship
| Small Business & Entrepreneurship
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General
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Personal Transformation
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
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Self-Esteem
| Self-Help
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General
| Covey, Stephen R.
| Authors, A-Z
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Paperback
| Covey, Stephen R.
| Authors, A-Z
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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Accessories:
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RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
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Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
ASIN: 0684802031 |
Amazon.com
What are the most important things in your life? Do they get as much care, emphasis, and time as you'd like to give them? Far from the traditional "be-more-efficient" time-management book with shortcut techniques, First Things First shows you how to look at your use of time totally differently. Using this book will help you create balance between your personal and professional responsibilities by putting first things first and acting on them. Covey teaches an organizing process that helps you categorize tasks so you focus on what is important, not merely what is urgent. First you divide tasks into these quadrants:
- Important and Urgent (crises, deadline-driven projects)
- Important, Not Urgent (preparation, prevention, planning, relationships)
- Urgent, Not Important (interruptions, many pressing matters)
- Not Urgent, Not Important (trivia, time wasters)
Most people spend most of their time in quadrants 1 and 3, while quadrant 2 is where quality happens. "Doing more things faster is no substitute for doing the right things," says Covey. He points you toward the real human needs--"to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy"--and how to balance your time to achieve a meaningful life, not just get things done. --Joan Price
Book Description
I'm getting more done in less time, but where are the rich relationships, the inner peace, the balance, the confidence that I'm doing what matters most and doing it well?
Does this nagging question haunt you, even when you feel you are being your most efficient? If so, First Things First can help you understand why so often our first things aren't first. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you're headed is more important than how fast you're going.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Life Management Book.......2007-06-22
I read the 7 habits of Highly Effective people a few years ago and was very inspired at that time to take more control of my life and try and implement the habits into my daily life. In particular, i really found the third habit on time management useful and could see the benefit. However, at that time i did not put the habits into effect in any real way.
Then recently, i discovered this book again which mainly deals with the third habit and some of the second habit and found that i was now ready to not only read about it but to actually start doing it by using the tools and techinques outlined to take control of my life and focus on the things that really mattered.
It may seem simple but starting with a vision of my life and then writing out my goals for incorporation into my monthly, weekly and daily planning has alreaady had a tremendous effect on my life and i find that i am scheduling important things in my life such as meditation and exercise and doing these which is giving me a more balanced work life balance. I also find it very effective for my job in which i am now scheduling important activites into my calender and doing them rather than just reacting to the urgent day to day requests at the expense of these more important long term activities.
A Lifetime Guide.......2007-02-05
I have bought this book for four years, read over it for many times.
If I can only take one book with me to another world, I will take this one. It is a good guide to how to live for a lifetime.
It begins with the foundamental principles, then gradually teachs you how to live a better life based on those principles. Every sentence is a sentence of truth. Everytime I have setback, I go back to this book; and everytime, I find that I have violated a principle.
Over four years, I become a different person.
What's important in your life?.......2007-01-23
What's important in your life? What do you really want to accomplish? What do you want to see completed at the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of the month, at the end of the year, and, ultimately, what do you want to have accomplished by the end of your life?
Getting things in line in your life, learning to set priorities, not just for money, purchases, and trivial things, but for more important things. How about family, relationships, and career?
great getting it together tool.......2007-01-18
I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for someone special who told me since reading the book he has been able to adapt a positive change in his busy and hetic life in a very positive way. He has been able to put in priority and balance the pressures, responsibilities, expetations of both his personal and business life,
Good Book.......2006-12-06
I bought this book because I needed some guidance to start putting things back in order in my life. Eventhough it focus on business and work, it provides some helpful hints to apply on you personal life.
Book Description
What's the quickest way to ruin a friendship? Do great friendships have anything in common? Are close friendships in the workplace such a bad thing?
These are just a few of the questions that #1 New York Times bestselling author Tom Rath asked when he embarked on a massive study about the impact of friendships. Along with several leading researchers, Rath pored through the literature, conducted several experiments, and analyzed more than 8 million interviews from The Gallup Organization's worldwide database.
His team's discoveries produced Vital Friends, a book that challenges long-held assumptions people have about their relationships. And the team's landmark discovery - that people who have a "best friend at work" are seven times as likely to be engaged in their job - is sure to rattle the structure of organizations around the world.
Drawing on research and case studies from topics as diverse as management, marriage, and architecture, Vital Friends reveals what's common to all truly essential friendships: a regular focus on what each person is contributing to the friendship - rather than the all-too-common approach of expecting one person to be everything.
The book includes a unique ID code that provides access to the Vital Friends Assessment and website. This groundbreaking test reveals which friends play each of the eight vital friendship roles in your work and life.
Tom Rath's fast-paced and inviting storytelling takes a mountain of important research and makes it remarkably accessible and applicable. By the time you finish reading Vital Friends, you'll see your coworkers, family, friends, and significant other in a whole new light.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting read, not lots of depth.......2007-08-14
In Vital Friends, Tom Rath makes two main points.
* One is that having friends at work is very beneficial to the employer. With a best friend at work, you are much more likely to be productive. Without a best friend at work, there's only a 1 in 12 chance you'll feel engaged! With three good friends at work you are 96% more likely to be extremely satisfied with your life. (All the numbers are from a Gallup poll.)
* The second point he makes is that you can't expect all your friends to be all things to you. He says different friends fullfill different needs and describes the different types of friends:
o Builders
+ Motivators and coaches
+ They push you
+ They know our strengths
+ They provide moral support
o Champions
+ Stand up for you
+ Sing your praises
+ "Thrive on your accomplishments and happiness"
o Collaborators
+ Share similar interests, ambitions and passions
+ Do a lot with you
o Companions
+ Always there for you
+ Make sacrifices for you
+ First person you call
o Connectors
+ Always introduce you to others
+ They seem to "know everybody"
o Energizers
+ Your "fun friends"
+ Make good days, great
+ People you call to have a good time or to relax with
o Mind Openers
+ Ask good questions
+ People you share ideas and express yourself outloud with
o Navigators
+ Give advise
+ Steer you
+ Share dreams and goals
Interestingly, he says that in friendships we don't play the same role to each other. So you might be a mind opener to your friend and your friend might be a champion for you.
This book was an easy and interesting read. You can easily read it in a day. (I read it on a two hour plane ride.) However, I would have liked a lot more detail and depth.
Friends--- More Than Just a "Good Idea".......2007-07-20
I've heard of good friends, close friends, old friends, casual friends, best friends, even "just" friends, but I had never heard the word "vital" to describe friends until this book. And that is exactly what Tom Rath proceeds to explain, that having friends, real, meaningful engaged relationships, is absolutely vital to our health, our well-being, and our personal and professional success. Not "a good idea" or "important" but actually "vital"- absolutely necessary.
He starts the book by stating that so much of the focus on personal and professional success is on self-improvement. But is that really the key? His answer is, "The energy between two people is what creates great marriages, families, teams, and organizations." In fact, his first chapter is entitled, "Who Expects You to be Somebody?" where he wisely observes that it is almost always the influence of meaningful people in our lives that drives us to achievement.
The second chapter, "The Energy Between," discusses how, "Focusing on the individual is too narrow -- and focusing on the entire group is too broad. The real energy occurs in each connection between two people, which can bring about exponential returns." His next chapter, "Better than Prozac?" cites some interesting research, including a Duke University study showing people with less than four close friends had more than double the risk of heart disease.
The most helpful concept he develops in the book is that of "the rounding error" in chapter 5. It is easy, he says, to expect a friend to be "well rounded"-- in other words, to be good at everything: inspiring us, being a companion to us, giving us an energy boost, expanding our horizions, and a dozen other different things. This often subconscious expectation is both unrealistic (no one person can meet all our relationship needs) and a potential relationship killer, both in friendships and in romance and marriage.
In a similar vein, he warns us of expecting friendships to be "reciprocal." In other words, I may be an energizer to my friend, but he may be a mind opener for me. Expecting to receive the same of what I give to a friend again is both unrealistic and a potential relationship killer. I surmise that is why the Duke health research found that it takes at least four close friends-- because different people will speak different things into your life, and you need different kinds of friends to have well-balanced friend "nutrition" for your soul, just as you need different foods from different groups to give your body what it needs.
The second part of the book goes into more detail about the vital importance of friends at work, citing both anecdotes and research. The final part of the book more fully develops his system of eight vital friendship roles:
Builder
Champion
Collaborator
Companion
Connector
Energizer
Mind Opener
Navigator
He discusses how these roles differ and how to develop these roles both in your life and in the lives of your friends. The book also gives you an access code to a website where you can take a survey to help classify your own friends as to the roles they play in your life.
I realized the importance of my friends before I picked up this book. But after reading Vital Friends, I had more appreciation of my friends, new insights into the nature of our friendships, and greater skills & determination to develop our friendships further.
Why network?.......2007-07-17
The bookstore shelves are filled with books about "networking" which cover how to meet more people and not alienate them too much, and possibly how to have them help you get a job. This book is a leap above the usual networking books by discussing the different ways that people can be helpful to your life. It divides relationships into eight categories (potentially limiting but also useful...you've got to start somewhere). It tells you how to identify each type, what each group can do for you, how to find more of this type, and how YOU can be one of them (which beats a million vague exhortations that "networking is a two-way street"). The research is focused on "business friendships" but can easily be extended to purely business relationships as well as social or even family ones. Basically, this book takes networking from "what" and "how" to "who" and, most importantly, "why?"
Thinking about friends.......2007-05-28
My book club read Vital Friends last week. The men responded well to it; the women seemed lukewarm. All of us liked the book's values.
Rath's survey study reveals surprising connections between productivity and policies promoting friendship at work. Rath also developed a structure for analyzing dynamic components common among friends, a structure available on-line.
Our book club men found the analysis especially revealing when applied to their personal lives. Our women were less inspired, perhaps because thinking about friendship was not such uncharted territory.
I liked Vital Friends much better after talking about the issues it raises. The bottom line: thinking aloud about friendship is important to both private and public well-being.
Friends At Work.......2007-05-09
Learn how valuable your friends are, and then go one step further by developing friendships with your co-workers.
Book Description
Why are people around the world so very different? What makes us live, buy, even love as we do? The answers are in the codes.
In The Culture Code, internationally revered cultural anthropologist and marketing expert Clotaire Rapaille reveals for the first time the techniques he has used to improve profitability and practices for dozens of Fortune 100 companies. His groundbreaking revelations shed light not just on business but on the way every human being acts and lives around the world.
Rapaille’s breakthrough notion is that we acquire a silent system of Codes as we grow up within our culture. These Codes—the Culture Code—are what make us American, or German, or French, and they invisibly shape how we behave in our personal lives, even when we are completely unaware of our motives. What’s more, we can learn to crack the Codes that guide our actions and achieve new understanding of why we do the things we do.
Rapaille has used the Culture Code to help Chrysler build the PT Cruiser—the most successful American car launch in recent memory. He has used it to help Procter & Gamble design its advertising campaign for Folger’s coffee – one of the longest-lasting and most successful campaigns in the annals of advertising. He has used it to help companies as diverse as GE, AT&T, Boeing, Honda, Kellogg, and L’Oréal improve their bottom line at home and overseas. And now, in The Culture Code, he uses it to reveal why Americans act distinctly like Americans, and what makes us different from the world around us.
In The Culture Code, Dr. Rapaille decodes two dozen of our most fundamental archetypes—ranging from sex to money to health to America itself—to give us “a new set of glasses” with which to view our actions and motivations. Why are we so often disillusioned by love? Why is fat a solution rather than a problem? Why do we reject the notion of perfection? Why is fast food in our lives to stay? The answers are in the Codes.
Understanding the Codes gives us unprecedented freedom over our lives. It lets us do business in dramatically new ways. And it finally explains why people around the world really are different, and reveals the hidden clues to understanding us all.
Customer Reviews:
Good marketing and general information, opens mind........2007-09-22
The information and analysis offered by the author are very interesting, it changes the way questions and investigation are offered so that more interesting answers can be obtained.
Very Disappointing.......2007-09-20
Seeing the number of strong reviews, I bought this book expecting deep insight into how consumers across cultures differ in how they make buying decisions (as indicated by the subtitle). At the very least, I was hoping for a thought-provoking framework for thinking about this stuff.
Instead, I got surface-level assertions primarily targeted at the American psyche and seemingly supported only by casual observation and a few focus groups. Indeed, the lack of real scientific rigor and foundational theory supporting his words make it pretty easy to blow holes in every one of Rapaille's arguments (especially the ideas of the Reptilian Brain and America's Cultural Adolescence) and make the book frustrating to read. Like some other reviewers, I also nearly put it down after 100 pages.
On the other hand, the Codes that he's defined for Americans' views of things like food, quality, health, and money are reasonable enough. So to some foreign audiences and perhaps also to Americans and Marketers without previous exposure to cultural anthropology, I can understand how some of his ideas may seem profound.
If you don't fit into either of those categories, don't bother buying this book.
Great Information.......2007-08-15
I really enjoyed reading his book; it let me understand even some of my aptitudes with life.
Very inspiring book.......2007-08-14
This book really helps to understand the most important culture codes for USA. It is very interesting for everybody, it is a must for each marketeers and communitations manager.
Started Strong but lost momentum.......2007-07-24
Having marketed and sold in every region of the globe, I was naturally drawn to Clotaire Rapaille's "The Culture Code." Rapaille utlizes a one word "code word" which you could characterize an "emoticon descriptor" for a product or service, such as "HORSE" for the the Jeep Wrangler, or "DISAPPOINTMENT" for Love. He caught my interest up front with an overview of the process behind his code labeling, but as the book progressed, never provided a road map as to the analysis behind the process except the end results surrounding vanity areas of health, beauty, sex, home, money and other emotional areas. But nothing regarding hard business analysis. His premise is that we all look at the world differently due to our childhood driven, hard wired cultural experiences, causing stark differences between the emotional quotient of Europeans, Asians and Americans. At the end, the chapters were fairly repetitive recapping the first, and strongest in the book.
Book Description
This book details the battle one must fight to be an independent thinker, showing how an honest reassessment of what it means to be a professional in today's corporate society can be remarkably liberating. Poignant examples from the world of work reveal the workplace as a battleground for the very identity of the individual. Schmidt contends that professional work is inherently political--that the unstated duty of professionals is to maintain strict ideological discipline. Career dissatisfaction evolves as workers lose control over the political component of their creative work.
Customer Reviews:
Very Important Book.......2007-08-03
Disciplined Minds is one of the most important books I have read in quite some time. Conceptually the author captures the great deal of frustration and dissatisfaction of practically every person I know in a professional work environment or in graduate school. It has its flaws, the major one being that while the book gives a framework for dealing with the system of graduate school, its much more difficult to apply it in the corporate system, where your colleagues are much more terrified. Regardless, I would recommend anyone in a graduate or professional program or in the professional work environment to read the book.
Maybe for professors but I'm not sure even for them.......2006-10-24
For me to recommend a book, it has to be right, applicable, and fun to read. This book falls short on all three. Mostly on applicability: it speaks against the dangers of mind-numbing bureaucracy and close-mindedness, claiming American university physics PhD programs as the example. I had hoped for something that talked about the salaried professional once s/he's at work, not the university experience preceding it. If you want to review the worst of academic bureaucracy in order to know how to recognize and deal with it, then read this book. Otherwise skip it and just stay alert for those times when "the system" tries to put one over on you.
Operant conditioning for groupthink........2003-12-05
I found this work fascinating, though my take is different. Observing the Darwin debate over time as a secular critic I was always struck by the way the Intelligent Design movement (which I don't agree with)was able to simply skewer the standard scientific position, even despite their own confusions, as all the bigwigs in science and education were reduced to reiterated press release stuff from the kneejerk Darwin paradigm. How was it possible, I thought, that the entire cadre of scientific experts could not properly defend their own subject or see the clear problems pointed to?
The answer became clear in interactions with some grad students, nervously retreating in genuine fear, knowing full well they had to bite the bullet and lie.
Baffled, since I know little about the academic context, I found this book hit the spot very well in showing how that could be possible.
Very interesting book, although I think some of the examples the author gives don't quite match his very well laid out thesis at the beginning. That's not surprising, his thesis is very intangible, and it is sometimes hard to put one's finger on the actual way it happens.
Preaching to the disaffected.......2003-05-30
Jeff Schmidt's thesis is that professionals are needed by
business and are formed by education. Those who don't fit
in are discarded, not necessarily because they aren't smart
enough, but because they're not conservative enough. Liberal,
independent thinkers are weeded out. Professionals
have to be political, and since the rules are made by
the bosses, they aren't in control and hence lead generally
miserable lives.
The process of making professionals is an "intellectual
bootcamp" with "cold-blooded expulsions and creeping
indoctrination" that "systematically grinds down the student's
spirit" and ultimately produces "employees who do their
assigned work without questioning its goals."
Only the stuffy and conservative professionals can
accommodate, as poorly as they do, to the hierarchical
structure of the business-military complex.
Schmidt got a PhD in physics at UC Irvine, and he draws
examples and conclusions from the weeding out experience
there; in particular, the qualifying exam. This is an
"ordeal" that requires much preparation. Schmidt says that
students who do not submit to the requirement to memorize
solutions from previous exams do poorly, even if they
have a good general background. This is because trick
questions and time pressure only allow students to
regurgitate obscure things they remember. Also, faculty
will sometimes pass a student who fails the test if
that student is playing the game, demonstrating compliance
by submitting to demands of the faculty, and working hard
on a research project.
Schmidt's underlying complaint is that students are selected
to "fill a slot in the corporate-governmental complex -- so
well suited to serve the status quo in an institution
of the status quo", not "to work for social change."
Unfortunately, Schmidt's examples and his general position
are so extreme that most people who have gone through
graduate school in technical fields of science or
engineering will simply respond "That's not my experience,
nor is it the experience of anyone I knew in the PhD
program." Contrary to Schmidt's examples of selfish,
preening, secretive, ego-obscessed professors, most faculty
members in physics departments are generous, open,
inquisitive people, who are deeply interested in their
science and care about their students. Ultimately, the
book becomes boring in its repetition of the theme.
As social science, it relies on a small selection of anecdotes
and fails the test of credibility.
A must read for all students.......2003-01-11
It took me three days to read this book. I could not put it down...I took it with me everywhere and have told everyone I know about it. The level of insight into the motivations of professional training schools is right on the mark. I am currently a graduate student as well as an employee at a major university. I can see first hand the professionalization (read indoctrination) of the graduate student. I can also see with more insight the dynamics that go on in an academic office. I now understand why those in charge of forwarding the ideology of the office are not micromanaged, and those not trusted to forward the accurate ideology are micromanaged. Dr. Schmidt also does an excellent job in describing the role industry and the military has in professional training programs. A professional schools is seen as an extention of the profession, not an extention of the educational institution in which it is housed. There are tremendous forces pushing and pulling on professional training programs to produce the "right" kind of student. Unfortunately the force that wins out is the one with the money...private industry and the military. Students have to be aware that their very futures can be determined by what kind of funding a department receives.
He is right to say that if one does not remain connected to one's values and convictions, one can succumb to the whims of those in power. After depressing you with his accurate interpretation of the role professional schools play in society, he gives instructions on how to fight the indoctrination process.
I'm buying extra copies and giving them away as graduation gifts. A MUST READ for anyone who wants to survive professional school with their conscience intact.
Book Description
This interdisciplinary, multicultural text-reader provides an introduction to women's studies within a global context by examining the diversity of women's lives across categories of race-ethnicity, class, sexuality, disability, and age. Substantial chapter introductions provide statistical information and explanations of key concepts and ideas as a context for the reading selections. Each chapter includes reading questions and suggestions for taking action, to help students link what they learn to their own lives and to the world around them.
Average customer rating:
- Calculations are only as good as your numbers
- Pants on fire?
- Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed.
- Very Interesting
- History as Science Fiction
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History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
Anatoly Fomenko
Manufacturer: Mithec
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ASIN: 2913621058 |
Book Description
Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.
Customer Reviews:
Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03
Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.
Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19
Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.
Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09
There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.
For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.
Very Interesting.......2007-03-07
It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.
History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10
Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.
I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.
Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.
Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.
I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.
This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.
Book Description
Why work for someone else when you can call your own shots, pursue your dreams, and find success on your terms by starting your own business? So many people end up bored with their jobs, stuck in the corporate grind, never following their true passions. As wildly successful young entrepreneur Cameron Johnson shows, you don't have to live that way. We've entered a new age of entrepreneurship, with the Web making it easier than ever to start and run your own company. As Johnson's remarkable story reveals, the entrepreneurial way of life is a great way to make sure you love what you do -- and it offers the potential to achieve extraordinary success by following your gut instincts and going for what you really want.
What about the risks? Don't you need lots of money? Don't most start-ups fail? Johnson shares his essential secrets to entrepreneurial success that show you how he got into the life at very low risk, and, with very little money, took an idea that excited him and ran with it, achieving great success and satisfaction with businesses he loved. He didn't have an MBA; he didn't even have a college degree. But he had learned the simple yet vital secrets he reveals.
Cameron Johnson is a seriously happy entrepreneur who started his first business when he was nine with $50 and a home computer. Before he'd turned twenty-one he'd started twelve successful businesses and was offered $10 million in venture capital to grow his hot Web company CertificateSwap.com -- praised by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the Web businesses helping the tech industry get its groove back -- even bigger. He has never taken out a loan or racked up any debt, and every one of his businesses has been highly profitable -- so profitable that he made his first million before graduating from high school, and he's put away enough cash so that he could retire today. But that's the last thing on earth he'd want to do; he's much too happy starting up new companies.
Through the story of his own impressive career so far, in You Call the Shots, Johnson takes you behind the scenes of entrepreneurial success and empowers you to hit the ground running with your own great business idea, no matter how young you are or how little money you have to invest.
Customer Reviews:
GREAT BOOK!!!.......2007-07-03
This book is really excellent. I've read so many that tell you ways to either get into businesses or how to structure a business... Cameron Johnson's book takes you from start to finish along his real-life business life - talks about the structuring, marketing, and sometimes, the sale of a business. He also gives you his 19 principles for young entrepreneurs which I implemented in my own business.
I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could. GREAT BOOK!!!
Great hands on.......2007-06-19
It's a great book. So many books tell you to have this great attitude and act like you're driving your mercedes and living in a mansion with servants - it's the attitude that makes the person. That being said, this man tells you to roll up your sleeves, look at what's around your neighborhood and get to work. He's practical and very level headed.
Excellent, actionable advice for starting and growing a business.......2007-06-04
I was given this book by my wife. She thought I would be interested in reading about a young entrepreneur who started and sold several businesses. I have to admit that I've read dozens and dozens of entrepreneurship books since I started my own company ten years ago, so--besides Cameron Johnson's age--I was wondering how this book was different from all the rest. After reading this book I realized that what makes it different is Cameron Johnson's straightforward "roll up your sleaves and do it" insight into how he started, grew, and sold his businesses--and his genuine enthusiasm for helping readers do the same. While many entrepreneurship books cover the generic high points of starting and running your own business, few books make this potentially daunting process as manageable and practical as You Call the Shots. As a winner of my city's Entrepreneur of Year Award, I feel comfortable recommending this book for soon-to-be entrepreneurs and those like me who have started the adventure.
Flawed.......2007-05-25
The cover of the book was intriguing enough to buy, but after reading the first 3 chapters, I came to a rather quick conclusion that this young man has been riding the coat tales of his entrepreneurial family and their successes. The "start from scratch" story is not evident in this book, but rather the perspective of a 23-year-old author following in the footsteps of his family's successful automotive dealership background, which his grandfather started. The author is very focused on his accomplishments, but they are businesses for which he claims 100% his own doing yet seem outlandish. For example: selling Beanie-Babies at age 12, over EBay, buying from wholesalers, with his own credit card; I beg to differ, but this must have required some family help. The author also makes claims that he did not need any funds for those early businesses, but yet he received a $2000+ computer system (given to him by his parents) to make holiday cards from Print Shop as the primary means of his "Cheers & Tears" business. Businesses require some level of capital to start, but if the author's perspective is to get free handouts from others to start his businesses (i.e. parents), then he has made his point.
On the other hand, this is a great book for teenagers and twenty-something's who still have the luxury of living with their parents with minimum expenses, and can take a dip in the entrepreneurial lifestyle, without having to burden the costs of normal life. Usually living expenses factor in much of the risk new entrepreneurs face, yet the author appears to have never been exposed to such risks. Growing-up with parents who own successful businesses and are millionaires, tend to skip the "start-from-scratch basics" and start careers at a different level. Readers who have careers and are looking to jump into a business of their own, this book is not for you as the author's approach to "don't take on too much you can't do" is flawed from the perspective of a person who lived at home while flipping his 12 young businesses. Overall, the book is easy to read, but does not provide the depth and guidance that more entrepreneurial and career-established readers may need to be motivated given the complexities and risks of life.
A Must!!.......2007-05-12
This is an excellent and well written book by Cameron Johnson. Inside you will discover a new way of thinking and perhaps challenge youself to call your own shots. I highly recommend this book!!
Amazon.com
Millions of consumers have become trapped in a spiral of debt, but there is hope. If you wants to free yourself from the shackles of debt, this book is for you--it can help you "get out of debt, stay out of debt, and live prosperously." Jerrold Mundis writes in a friendly, engaging style, urging readers to stop the cycle of spending. Mundis knows what he's talking about--he, too, was once thousands of dollars in debt and didn't know where to turn. Anecdotes from Debtors Anonymous folks, plus multiple examples from the writer's own life and ledgers, make How to Get Out of Debt an encouraging read, not a condescending one. Once you start your program, you may want to periodically reread some chapters for inspiration--and fun.
Book Description
Out of the red...
Do this month's bills pile up before you're paid last month's?
Do you regularly receive past-due notices?
Do you get letters threatening legal action if immediate payment is not made?
Do the total amounts on your revolving charge accounts keep steadily rising?
Into the black...
Whether you are currently in debt or fear you're falling into debt, you are not alone. Forty million Americans--from doctors to secretaries, from executives to the unemployed--face the same problem and live under the same daily stress. Based on the proven techniques of the national Debtors Anonymous program, here is the first complete, step-by-step guide to getting out of debt once and for all. You'll learn:
How to recognize the warning signs of serious debt.
How to negotiate with angry creditors, collection agencies, and the IRS.
How to design a realistic and painless pay-back schedule.
How to identify your spending "blind spots."
How to cope with the anxiety and daily pressures of owing money.
Plus the three cardinal rules for staying out of debt forever and much more!
This book is neither sponsored nor endorsed by Debtors Anonymous. A recovered debtor, the author is intimately familiar with the Debtors Anonymous program.
Customer Reviews:
Easy and thoughtful way to clear your debt and free your life.......2007-09-29
What I liked best about this book is that it's real. It doesn't sugar-coat the frustration and even embarrasment that you can feel when you find yourself 30,000 or more in debt. But it doesn't simply rub your hand and tell you to "manifest" prosperity either. Frankly, putting too much energy into the law of attraction is likely how we get ourselves into all this debt - trying to be like "everyone" else.
I digress.
The book puts out some straightforward steps for you to follow. Follow them and you'll eventually get out of debt. Not tomorrow. And without having to pay some userer for "debt consolidation counseling" either. But it's work.
I liken it to losing weight - you have to change you're whole mindset and make small, positive changes every day in order to acheive your goal. The same principles apply here. Make changes every day. Don't debt any more and follow the plan. No magic bullet - but haven't you realized they don't work anyway?
LIVING PROOF.......2007-09-01
Just 6 years ago (2001), I found myself under crushing student loan and credit card debt. You would be blown away by how much debt I'd amassed. I'd lost my job and the creditors were calling. My life quickly fell apart. I was depressed, anxious and mentally paralyzed, not knowing how to take back control. Creditors were calling every five minutes it seemed, yelling at me, threatening me. I was broke, and broken-hearted at where things were in my life. I even had to move back in with my parents which was humiliating. I read a lot of books on finances and two of them made all the difference in the world, "How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt and Live Prosperously," and "Rich Dad Poor Dad." "Rich Dad" was about concepts and changing the paradigm of how I looked at money. "How to Get Out of Debt" was very, very specific with HOW to get out of debt and GET RICH SLOWLY. Reading "How to Get Out of Debt" was like my first day of sobriety. I had no idea that I even had this debting habit, as dumb as that may sound. I was reading the book, going "wow--that's me!" I applied the BACK TO BLACK principles, day by day, month by month, year by year. And now, 6 years later, I celebrate my first full year of ownership in my first home--which seemed an impossible dream just two years ago. I own my car outright. I have zero credit card debt. And my overall student loan debt has been reduced by at least 40%. I pay cash that I've saved for things that I need. I PAY MYSELF FIRST! (this is a key principle in both books). And believe it or not, I haven't had a credit card in about 10 years now--I use a Visa checkcard. Without a credit card I've traveled to Europe, Mexico and Central America, rented cars, and paid for emergencies. And I don't live impoverished. I just live within my means, and pay cash with money saved. It's a complete myth that you need a credit card to survive. This book helped me to understand that. It was also very specific as to what happens if a creditor takes you to court or ruins your credit, which are probably the two biggest threats they have over you. Knowledge made all those things less scary. Ultimately, I would say this book is about how to replace unhealthy money habits with healthier ones. If this book cost $1,000, it would still be worth it. At $10, it's a blessing.
Please read, it will teach you how to help yourself.......2007-07-17
If you are like me and you are trying to pay your bils and debts in a responsible and timely manner..this book is for you. I have read some of the other " financial authors" out there and I always felt lost and that there advice was just out of my needs..this book was right on. After I followed the spending plan record ( Wow, do you honestly want to know what you are spending, this will open your eyes) and wrote all my debts down in black and white, I feel that I can tackle all my money issues in a clear and concise manner.
After following this plan, I am now ready to move on to retirement planning, college savings, etc. If you are trying to get through today so you can get to tomorrow, this financial guide is for you.
Get Out of the Red and Into the Black.......2007-07-03
Plain and simple, How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt & Live Prosperously is one of the best contributions to the personal finance realm. Why do I say that? Because, in no uncertain terms, it addresses circumstances that most people in our society find themselves - deep in debt, digging deeper, and dealing, in silent desperation, with the repercussions.
In an era where consumers often finance their lifestyles with credit cards, use their homes like ATM machines, and, ultimately, make consumer credit counseling a booming business, Jerrold Mundis explains how our emotions and habitual thinking have put, and kept, many of us on the path to financial ruin.
The genius of this book, however, is its backbone: the principles of Debtors Anonymous. Though we may hate to think of it, habits of a lifetime do take work to change, ignoring does Madison Avenue take emotional strength, and dealing with the issues debt often engenders can be really tough. But, this book offers hope, and support, to those who heed its message.
Bottom line: no matter where how deep in debt you are, there is a way out if you keep your head and keep moving forward. And, Mundis can help you do it, if you follow his three cardinal rules: 1) don't debt one day at a time, 2) Keep a spending record scrupulously, and 3) adhere closely to your spending plan.
All in all, How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out of Debt & live Prosperously can be one of the best additions to your financial library, whether you are in drowning in debt or not.
Only for people in serious debt with no knowledge of finances.......2007-06-21
For my situation, this book was too rudimentary. I was looking for something that would give me startegies on how to payoff debt quicker. This book is not really about ways to payoff debt. It is more about learning how to spend less and seemed to be more of an advertisement for Debtors Anonymous. Things like "Try to go one day without using your credit card"... not for me. If you're in really bad shape and spend and spend without any way to stop then seek professional help, don't rely on this book. If you're like me and just looking for ways to reduce your outstanding debt quicker, look elsewhere, this is not the book for you.
Book Description
The Worldly Philosophers is a bestselling classic that not only enables us to see more deeply into our history but helps us better understand our own times. In this seventh edition, Robert L. Heilbroner provides a new theme that connects thinkers as diverse as Adam Smith and Karl Marx. The theme is the common focus of their highly varied ideas -- namely, the search to understand how a capitalist society works. It is a focus never more needed than in this age of confusing economic headlines.
In a bold new concluding chapter entitled "The End of the Worldly Philosophy?" Heilbroner reminds us that the word "end" refers to both the purpose and limits of economics. This chapter conveys a concern that today's increasingly "scientific" economics may overlook fundamental social and political issues that are central to economics. Thus, unlike its predecessors, this new edition provides not just an indispensable illumination of our past but a call to action for our future.
Customer Reviews:
The Hobo Philosopher.......2007-09-12
Whenever anyone says to me: I would like to learn something about economics, but where do I start - this is where you start. It is simple, easy, accurate, enjoyable and written for the lay reader. If you want to know more about economics this should be your first challenge. I guarantee after reading this book, you will know more and want to learn more. It could be the best introductory economics book ever. You can trust this guy.
This Classic Remains A Great Read!.......2007-09-10
I read this book 25 years ago, and recently reread parts of it. What a great book! Many of the most prominent living economists have justly heaped praise on Heilbroner's masterpiece. I can only add my hearty agreement.
Excellent compilation of short biographies of major economists.......2007-07-27
Heilbroner (H) does a very good job of providing the beginning ,novice reader in economic history and economic thought a very general summary of the major ideas of the economists he covers.He provides many interesting anecdotal comments,such as Keynes's interest in the size and shape of other people's hands,that are worth the price of purchasing the book.There are,however,some major analytic gaps in H's coverage.I will cover two of these below.
The first major omission occurs on p.68, in the chapter covering Adam Smith,on Smith's view of the role of government in a capitalist economy.Smith spends pp.734-741 of the Wealth of Nations[Modern Library(Cannan)edition] alerting the reader to the existence of a major undepletable,detrimental externality ,with major negative impacts, that resulted from the operation of the Invisible Hand (comparative advantage + division of labor + economic self interest).These negative impacts affect all aspects of the workers' lives-social,political,moral or ethical,intellectual,and martial.It is not just a case of "...the stultifying effect of mass production..." leading to a " ...decline in manly virtues."(Heilbroner,p.68).On pp.9-10 of the WN,Smith discussed the significant role of the worker in providing a continuing series of marginal improvements in the workings of the machinery used in the production process.All such contributions come to a complete stop if the externality problem is not dealt with because the result will be "...the almost complete corruption and degeneracy of the great body of the people".(Smith,p.734).The work force will not be able to make any contribution to the political decision making process of the country.Conflicts will break out both within the family and between families.Smith includes in his solution,which is that general education and religious instruction be provided for all even if they are unable to afford it,the requirement that the workers be taught the basics(reading,writing,and arithmetic) plus geometry and mechanics.The middle class is to also be taught philosophy and science.
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