he seems to have another variation on the capitalism requires pre capitalism attitudes to support it theme.
i did get a good snicker out of his http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positional_good analysis - society focusing on "neener neener" aspects and the inherint failings of relativity in regards perception.In his book, Social Limits to Growth, Hirsch argued that the modern market economy is successful only to the extent that it stands on the shoulders of a pre-capitalist ideology. He was concerned that the growth and maturation of the market economy undermined the moral and ideological foundations upon which it depended. The market economy depends on respect for rules that cannot be enforced by law alone. It depends on the owners of business being permitted to maximise their own wealth and incomes in certain defined ways, and on others in society foregoing the opportunity to take advantage of their own positions to do likewise.
i also agreed with his stance that land and property are currently neener neener goods and as such a zero sum game played for perception reasons.
anyone read or studied this fellow ?