Comments on: Change the World http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2003/10/18/change-the-world/ The personal web site of Brendon J. Wilson, a software developer, technologist, and entrepreneur living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:58:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Kevin Cheng http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2003/10/18/change-the-world/#comment-152 Kevin Cheng Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=120#comment-152 but you're making the judgement call of what is a worthwhile transaction then, which possibly defeats smith's point that it's all part of a well oiled machine. altho, making anything that people will buy should include drugs, no? =) but you’re making the judgement call of what is a worthwhile transaction then, which possibly defeats smith’s point that it’s all part of a well oiled machine.

altho, making anything that people will buy should include drugs, no? =)

]]> By: Brendon J. Wilson http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2003/10/18/change-the-world/#comment-153 Brendon J. Wilson Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=120#comment-153 Agreed, it's definitely a judgement call. However, in Adam Smith's world customers are rational, well-informed participants in the market, with government providing effective regulatory control to restrict behaviour that isn't in the public interest (misleading advertising, for example). You're right: Smith's theory says it's all part of a well-oiled machine. However, reality dictates something entirely different. What I'm trying to point out here is that people are neither rational nor well-informed all of the time, and government cannot possibly regulate against all activities that aren't in the public interest (again, a subjective definition). Thus, people's willingness to buy does not necessarily signal its value to society or its potential to improve circumstances within society. Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that it's up to me to make the extra effort to look beyond doing jobs for which I can get paid and attempt to find jobs that fulfill a higher need. Agreed, it’s definitely a judgement call. However, in Adam Smith’s world customers are rational, well-informed participants in the market, with government providing effective regulatory control to restrict behaviour that isn’t in the public interest (misleading advertising, for example). You’re right: Smith’s theory says it’s all part of a well-oiled machine. However, reality dictates something entirely different.

What I’m trying to point out here is that people are neither rational nor well-informed all of the time, and government cannot possibly regulate against all activities that aren’t in the public interest (again, a subjective definition). Thus, people’s willingness to buy does not necessarily signal its value to society or its potential to improve circumstances within society. Therefore, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s up to me to make the extra effort to look beyond doing jobs for which I can get paid and attempt to find jobs that fulfill a higher need.

]]> By: Tom Pappas http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2003/10/18/change-the-world/#comment-154 Tom Pappas Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=120#comment-154 It has been my experience that doing what one is passionate about is not only its own reward, but one immerses oneself so completely in the enterprise that the devotion, care, and energy one invests inevitably result in a financially successful outcome. One night about 25 years ago, I came home from my programmer/analyst job ready for the basket. Hobby computing was my only respite from the grind, and my wife suggested that I figure out a way to sell the expertise I had developed after hours in my workshop. I did, and never looked back. I make more money than I can use by having fun with computers. I ask people, "What would you do if you didn't need money?" Once we get through the fact that hardly anyone <em>really</em> wants to lounge on a beach forever, we find that the vast majority of people would do something that someone else is willing to pay to have done. Find that, and the Invisible Hand starts writing checks. It has been my experience that doing what one is passionate about is not only its own reward, but one immerses oneself so completely in the enterprise that the devotion, care, and energy one invests inevitably result in a financially successful outcome. One night about 25 years ago, I came home from my programmer/analyst job ready for the basket. Hobby computing was my only respite from the grind, and my wife suggested that I figure out a way to sell the expertise I had developed after hours in my workshop. I did, and never looked back. I make more money than I can use by having fun with computers.

I ask people, “What would you do if you didn’t need money?” Once we get through the fact that hardly anyone really wants to lounge on a beach forever, we find that the vast majority of people would do something that someone else is willing to pay to have done. Find that, and the Invisible Hand starts writing checks.

]]>