The market economy unchecked: Another version of fundamentalism? A polemical tribute to Stafford Beer

Abstract

A case is made that the market economy imposes constraints and makes demands that mirror the rigidity of fundamentalist religions and that this makes answering one fundamentalism with another more likely. The denial of the world's complexity, the dismissal of the suffering of those not among the select and the obliviousness to other perspectives that characterize fundamentalist economics or religion, create a dangerous situation for all. Systems models and tools, created by Stafford Beer and many others, provide practical means to address complexity and to achieve a fair balance of stakeholder needs and interests. These tools, and the holistic philosophy underpinning them, can and should be applied to questions of public importance. To do so, we have to follow the footsteps of Stafford Beer and other pioneers in the systems and cybernetics field.

Citation

Leonard, A. (2004), "The market economy unchecked: Another version of fundamentalism? A polemical tribute to Stafford Beer", Kybernetes, Vol. 33 No. 3/4, pp. 538-546. https://doi.org/10.1108/03684920410523553