ECONOMICS, ETHICS, AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION: COMPLEXITY AS INSIGHT-AN EVOLUTIONARY, 2nd ORDER CYBERNETIC VIEW

摘要

Traditional economics taught that free markets are inherently good, i.e., ethical, because markets naturally seek equilibrium. The author's view is that "disequilibrium" is a better descriptor of the fundamental state of the complex system that is our universe and, therefore, also best describes any and all systems contained therein, which naturally include social systems and all aspects thereof. The author argues that windows of opportunity, not only determine the direction of change in economic systems, but also that "ownership" of windows of economic opportunity-and/or, perhaps more importantly, access to preemptive information about them-determines the distribution of wealth/resources in any "free market" social system. Therefore, "free market" social systems are not inherently "good/ethical," but depend on equitable regulatory mechanisms to assure fair access to windows of opportunity and/or relevant information. The author argues further that all social systems are generated and operate solely in a "2nd order cybernetic" domain, i.e., a socially constructed cognitive "virtual" context, which may or may not bear any relevance to the concrete, physical realm, nor any resemblance to any other social context. Therefore, antecedent to any determination of "the good" or "the ethical" for Homo sapiens' global social/economic system is Homo sapiens' recognition of, not only all of our inexorable, undeniable dependence on our global biosphere's sustainability, but also of all of our need to develop a global capacity to arrive at mutually acceptable ethical standards of interaction with each other, with our globe, and with our universe at large.