Postulates of Capitalism

“Postulate” is a mathematical term.  It is defined by “The Basic Postulates & Theorems of Geometry” Web page as follows: “Postulates are statements that are assumed to be true without proof.”

Postulates of Traditional Marginalism

The first postulate, and perhaps the most important postulate of traditional marginalism, is that “The wage is equal to the marginal product of labour.” “That is,” Keynes explained, “the wage of an employed person is equal to the value which would be lost if employment were to be reduced by one unit (after deducting any other costs which this reduction of output would avoid); subject, however, to the qualification that the equality may be disturbed, in accordance with certain principles, if competition and markets are imperfect.”

The second “postulate” is that “the utility of the wage when a given volume of labour is employed is equal to the marginal disutility of that amount of employment.” It is assumed by the marginalists that no worker really wants to work at all. Performing labor for a capitalist boss is a definite “disutility” from the worker’s point of view. On the other hand, the money that the workers obtain in exchange for their “labor” enables the workers to buy commodities that have a definite utility for them. Indeed, without the “utility” provided by the wage, which the worker can only obtain by selling his or her “labor,” the worker couldn’t live at all.
https://critiqueofcrisistheory.wordpress.com/the-ideas-of-john-maynard-keynes-pt-1/the-ideas-of-john-maynard-keynes-pt-2/

Religion is an instinct

The Religious Instinct
Thaomas J Hardy
1913
Long Man Green and Co.

http://archive.org/stream/religiousinstinc00hardrich#page/14/mode/2up

Human Nature has a wonderful way of being right and wrong at the same time. Right as regards its instinct and wrong as regards the direction it takes.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3155298?seq=1





Updated 29 Aug 2014, 20 Oct 2012.

Reengineering America - Dick Formichella - A Novel on Changing the Government System

Reengineering America


Dick Formichella
iUniverse, 21-Jun-2005 -


A driven entrepreneur who made millions in the software industry, John Payton strongly believes that the American system of government is outdated. In fact, he's on a mission to convince the American people that they need a new 'tech-savvy" Constitution. According to John's calculations, such a version would be more effective, save billions of dollars in taxes, and could even establish a form of government closer to pure democracy.

With the secret help of an ambitious senator and his brilliant chief of staff, Payton starts a movement called 'Reengineering America." The group is dedicated to pressuring Congress to pass a Constitutional Amendment mandating that a second Constitutional Convention rewrite the document.

But Payton's unlikely crusade captures the attention of sinister and powerful forces both in and outside the government. Some want to stop him at any cost-while others want to ensure he succeeds for their own nefarious purposes.

Unable to distinguish friend from foe, John Payton must ultimately put his fortune- and his life-at risk trying to convince a dubious nation it's time to modernize a 200 year old system of government.

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=EYXc2aNJ5mkC

Humility - An Unlikely Virtue

Presentation by Dr. David Bobb on his new book, Humility: An Unlikely Biography of America's Greatest Virtue given at Hillsdale College's Kirby Center on November 5, 2013.

It is the time where people say be assertive, be aggressive. It is surprising to note that some US Presidently has shown humility.


__________________

__________________

Conservatism and Radicalism - Burke and Paine

Burke and a lot of conservatives  begin with very low expectations of human beings.They are very limited in the abilities and based on this it is amazing if something is working and giving results. Hence they  want to build on existing working systems it, rather than try to uproot the system and substitute it with a new system.

Paine thinks in the opposite way and starts with the belief that systems put in place by some people earlier can be replaced by new system designed by people now. Therefore,  there is no excuse for failure and things which are not working and delivering expected results have to be redesigned. When we see a society in which injustice reigns, we have to start from scratch and in a radical way change things.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/jan-june14/division_01-01.html


Yuval Levin Author of "The Great Debate: Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and the Birth of Right and Left" in an interview.

___________________

___________________


___________________

___________________

Sociology of Cooperation

The Anatomy of Cooperation
http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.183

Sociological aspects of cooperation
Andreas Diekmann and Siegwart Lindenberg
https://edit.ethz.ch/socio/publications/spieltheorie/anwendungen/Diekmann_Lindenberg.pdf

Dynamic Social Networks Promote Cooperation in Experiments with Humans
http://sociology.yale.edu/publications/dynamic-social-networks-promote-cooperation-experiments-humans

Political consultants in US Congressional Elections - Book Information

Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

Stephen K. Medvic

Ohio State University Press, 2001 - Political Science - 224 pages
Campaign consultants are arguably now as famous in the United States as are politicians themselves. During the past decade, those who know the names Bill Clinton, George Bush, Newt Gingrich, and Christine Todd Whitman also recognize the names James Carville, Mary Matalin, Frank Luntz, and Ed Rollins. Professional consultants, once part of the privileged inner circle of presidential and gubernatorial candidates, are increasingly found at all levels of politics. Indeed, more than half of congressional candidates hire campaign consultants. These professionals have become as important to a candidate's success as money. In this innovative study, Stephen K. Medvic explores all aspects of political consultancy and develops an empirically based theory that measures the impact consultants have on elections.


Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections answers two simple questions: What do professional political consultants do? and How successful are they? Medvic analyzes the way consultants shape political dialogue and uses empirical data to show the benefits -- and limits -- of a consultant's involvement in a campaign. He focuses on issues as diverse as vote shares, outcomes, and fundraising. Finally, the author demonstrates how the adversarial nature of campaigns fosters the kind of electioneering advocated by most political consultants and argues that this process may not be as harmful for the country as is often suggested.


http://books.google.co.in/books/about/Political_Consultants_in_U_S_Congression.html?id=0FUETF_2vQUC