 | Price Comparisons: Rental | | Sorry, the textbook you were looking for is not available as Rental, at any of the stores we searched. | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | Two renowned investment advisors and authors of the bestseller The Great Reckoning bring to light both currents of disaster and the potential for prosperity and renewal in the face of radical changes in human history as we move into the next century. The Sovereign Individual details strategies necessary for adapting financially to the next phase of Western civilization. Few observers of the late twentieth century have their fingers so presciently on the pulse of the global political and economic realignment ushering in the new millennium as do James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg. Their bold prediction of disaster on Wall Street in Blood in the Streets was borne out by Black Tuesday. In their ensuing bestsellar, The Great Reckoning, published just weeks before the coup attempt against Gorbachev, they analyzed the pending collapse of the Soviet Union and foretold the civil war in Yugoslavia and other events that have proved to be among the most searing developments of the past few years. In The Sovereign Individual, Davidson and Rees-Mogg explore the greatest economic and political transition in centuries -- the shift from an industrial to an information-based society. This transition, which they have termed "the fourth stage of human society," will liberate individuals as never before, irrevocably altering the power of government. This outstanding book will replace false hopes and fictions with new understanding and clarified values. |
Average Customer Rating:   Cyberpunk future This is a very interesting book with disturbing implications: the authors contend that, in our lifetimes we will see the messy demise of nation states, with the most advanced of the Western democracies falling the farthest and hardest. The grim future they depict is essentially that of Stephenson's "Snow Crash" or Gibson's "Neuromancer".
In making their case, the authors draw an interesting and convincing parallel between today's concepts of patriotism and national duty, and the Church in late medieval Europe.
I'd fault the book for its hyped up rhetoric and excessive repetition of the same historical factoids. Also, the dire predictions of this 1997 book are somewhat undermined by the predictions of the scope of the Y2K computer failures, and also by the odd depiction of Peruvian ex-dictator Fujimori as the wave of the future. Predictions are Finally Coming True Keep in mind that this book was written around 1997, before 9/11/2001.
It is summer 2008 and the "US empire" is in decline.
The US debt is quickly approaching the $10 trillion mark.
(that is a one with thirteen zeros behind it)
The US dollar is in decline.
The US financial markets are in meltdown mode.
The FDIC has taken over IndyMac, more banks to follow.
The government is talking about a bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
(how high can the US deficit go?)
The government has enacted the so called "patriot act".
The government has expanded the FISA rules.
The housing market is in deflation mode.
The commodities market is in inflation mode (oil approaching $150).
Here are few quotes from the book:
Page 20: "Governments will violate human rights, censor the free flow of information, sabotage useful technologies, and worse".
Page 23: "All nation-states face bankruptcy and the rapid erosion of their authority".
Page 29: "We forecast and explained why militant Islam would displace Marxism as the principal ideology of confrontation with the West".
Page 137: "You can expect to see crises of misgovernment in many countries as political promises are deflated and governments run out of credit".
Page 196: "Governments that tax too much will simply make residence anywhere within their power a bankrupting liability".
Page 197: "Paper money also contributed significantly to the power of the state, not only by generating profits from depreciating the currency, but by giving the state leverage over who could accumulate wealth".
Page 198: "Control over money will migrate from the halls of power to the global marketplace".
For Those Who Are Not Familiar With The Concept, This Is A Good Starting Place "Are you ready to free your mind, Neo?"
Just as Morpheus set about freeing captured minds from the grasp of The Matrix, James Dale Davidson has been passionate about showing people the real world political and financial MATRIX around them...and how it is used to control them and their ability to amass a fortune. He has done this quite well in several of his books, including this one.
I am well versed with James Dale Davidson's writing. I started off with The Great Recogning, subscribed to his private newsletter, went to see him in person, spent a weekend at one of his seminars (EXCELLENT) and went on an investment tour with him. James is the real deal...a thinking man that knows alot about wealth creation and wealth protection. His major thrust has been for individuals to NOT see themselves as citizens of one particular country or governmental structure, but to see themselves as free entities who CHOSE which governmental structure best serves THEIR interests...because the greatest threat to your wealth and financial security is GOVERNMENTS (see Bankrupcy 1995 for statistics of what happens when a country becomes insolvent).
Thus the concept of the Sovereign Individual.
This book is an introduction to the world of being sovereign. If you read The Great Recogning and/or Blood In The Streets, you are very familiar with the concepts and really, not much new is offered by this book. If you haven't read those other books, then this book is a GOOD place to start. Then quickly move to The Great Recogning - because it is for THIS reason above all esle, that you will want to position yourself as sovereign and protect your family, your freedom and your lifestyle.
IF freedom is important to you, if you feel a little uneasy with what is going on with the American economy and concerned about its imminent collapse...or America's POTENTIAL for collapse, this book is a MUST read for you.
Buy it now! The Shape of Things to Come A provocative book that aims to forecast the technological, political, and financial shape of things to come. The authors draw upon lessons of history and economic and sociological theory to offer strong opinions about the steps necessary to master the dynamic and, in their view, often chaotic transition to the information age. Among their predictions: the devolution of the governments of the Western industrialized nations, the creation of a cybercurrency initially linked to the gold standard and protected by unbreakable encryption technology, and nationalist reactionary policies fueled by protests from segments of society left behind by the advances of the information age.
The writing is suffused with dry British wit, sarcasm, and an unflinching sense of realism (some might call it hyperbole). Combined with the occasional right-of-center rant, this might be a too much for some readers, especially for those with left-of-center sensibilities. However, the book's transformative value and intellectual heft more than compensate for the stylistic foibles of its authors. Highly recommended.
[...]
The great megapolitical shift to the information-based society From the back cover:
"In the Sovereign Individual, Davidson and Rees-Mogg explore the greatest economic and political transition in centuries - the shift from an industrial to an information-based society."
The book was first published in 1997. It is now 2008 and I was struck by how prescient and relevant "The sovereign individual" is, several of the changes described in the book are already happening.
In the first chapter they describe four stages for society:
1- hunting and gathering societies
2- agricultural societies
3- industrial societies
4- information societies
Most of the book is devoted to explaining the transition from the industrial to the information society. Chapter 2 "Megapolitical Transformation in Historic Perspective" provides a useful framework for understanding the four stage of society and it's transitions:
1- Topography
2- Climate
3- Microbes
4- Technology
According to the authors technology is the most important factor, because of it's impact on the means of production and on the use of force.
They spend quite a bit of time discussing the importance of violence in each of the four stages of society in shaping the political and social organization.
They share their views on how the information-aged society will impact:
- politics and violence (weakening of the nation-state and the rise of organized crime)
- wealth creation and distribution (unequal and unequal)
- the changes to morality, especially among the elite
The book is written in a friendly but somewhat dark tone. 'Join us on a tour of the past, present and future' they might say. Read it. |  |
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