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Not quite the Thomas Sowell ones … in one vision of the world, the energy, ideas, drive and ability of human beings is the disease with “sustainability” as the cure.

In the other, “sustainability” serves as the disease for which imaginative, driven human beings and their ideas are the cure.

We ought to define sustainability of course, it’s not quite clear. But that’s for another day.

7 Responses to “A Conflict of Visions”

  1. Harry says:

    This the reason we keep coming back to your blog, WC, for uncommonly fresh insights.

    Yes, sustainability is loosely defined, just as in buying local.

  2. Scott says:

    a loose definition of sustainability is one of my pet peeves, considering how often we hear it.

    to be sustainable, one must produce more value than one consumes. value being a basic unit measurement of utility.

    or, another, more mystical way to think about it: to be sustainable, one must give more to the universe than one requires of the universe.

  3. Dan L. says:

    Freaky, I just purchased Sowell’s book…I’m excited to hear his thoughts on justice, equality, and more.

  4. RIT_Rich says:

    Well, if there is a silver lining to the overuse of the word “sustainability”, is that it has pretty much peaked. It may be in decline, both as a word, and as a concept. Outside of a few pockets in academia, I would say the rest of the world is suffering from “eco-BS” fatigue.

    Just ask RIT how well their “sustainability” MS and PhD programs are doing. In the mid to late 2000s, people couldn’t sign up fast enough for those programs. Now, they are dropping out like flies.

    • Harry says:

      EcoBS, a word to remember!

      Rich, my daughter is likely to apply for RIT’s executive online MBA program, and I would appreciate your opinion on it. You can get my email from WC, should you choose to reply by that route. It sounds like a great idea to me.

      • RIT_Rich says:

        I got my MBA from RIT as well, so I know a bit about their program. I’d say it depends on what she wants the MBA for: if she wants it simply to get a promotion at an existing job, then pretty much any program will do. If she wants it for other reasons, such as moving on to another job, name recognition, opening doors, or even learning new skills, I’m not sure that online is your best bet. Many top companies won’t accept online programs (and I can understand why; you miss out on almost everything value-added in an MBA). RIT’s program also isn’t all that great. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty good, but it ain’t Simon. When it comes to MBA, aiming high is worth the money (considering that the difference between RIT’s tuition and some better B-school isn’t all that much), not just for the name recognition (which will pay off), but also because you will learn a lot more at the better B-schools. I am currently TA-ing for MBAs and Exec-MBAs at my school, which is pretty high up there, and the difference between the profs, the students, the discussion etc. here and RIT…is like black and white. It blows my mind. At RIT your co-students will be mostly just out of undergrad with little value to add, or at best some Xerox employees looking for a promotion. Nothing wrong with that, but why not surround yourself with the best of the best. It makes a huge difference.

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