Thought Teaser: What's Sin in Market Logic?
Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 1:17PM
Lee Van Ham in From Lee, economics as religion

When we yield to the temptation to outsmart The Market, believing to know more than The Market, we fall into sin. Then, instead of trusting The Market, we doubt it. Regulating The Market is an example of not trusting The Market. When we intervene in market logic with regulations, we play god. Countries who regulate too much or refuse to open their economy to the rich nations that design the global economy, suffer economic hardship for their heresy of believing they can do it better than The Market.

Conversely, economic success results from following orthodox market logic. Therefore, rich countries rightfully have the authority to arrange the rules for global economic engagement. Their righteousness, conferred by The Market, is displayed by their wealth.

All actions that stray from trusting The Market’s sovereignty to know best are sinful. Disobeying The Market has consequences, as the example above of regulating The Market shows. It triggers economic hardship and loss — the curse of falling from the Edenic state of trust and harmony. Sin leads to social marginalization, even banishment from groups of the faithful. Putting faith in any economic model other than The Market trusts heresy instead of the true way. Poor people and poor countries do not have the right to say what are the best practices to follow because they have strayed from the true way and have become habitual sinners.

How well are you doing with the logic of The Market?

Article originally appeared on OneEarth sustainability amid climate change (http://www.theoneearthproject.org/).
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