Saturday, September 10, 2011

What progress comes from

All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.
- Samuel Butler

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

So "us" responsible and prudent citizens living within our budget don't contribute to progress ? Are we really just relaxing and waiting for somebody else to take risks, do the hard job so that we can benefit from progress ? So people who perform activities that supposedly aren't primarily motivated by material rewards (much less by living beyond their income) such as artists, painters, actors, university professors aren't contributing to progress ?
Am I missing the point ?
Peace to all !

Eolake Stobblehouse said...

I think it's rather a joke.
But with the added poignancy that there's a nugget of truth to it, and also that many actually believe it really is so, including top economists and politicians. Or they say so.