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Fuzzy Signalsextracting the signal from the noise |
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Fuzzy Signalsextracting the signal from the noise |
Related to my book review and discussion on professional amateurs and hobbyists, I found some old notes referring to an article by James Fallows called The Case Against Credentialism (1985), which looks worthwhile.
In the article Fallows explains how certain cultures have rewarded behavior that eventually proved ruinous to the society as a whole. For instance, the British upper class’s desire to be free of the taint of commerce is a good example, although the Chinese experience stands out as well. In the latter case, for centuries, the antipathy to merchants was so strong that many commerce-minded Chinese, especially in southern provinces like Canton, had to flee for their lives to other places, the legacy of which is the incredible network of overseas Chinese around the Pacific Rim and beyond.
Falllows and critics like Henry Mintzberg, who quoted this work in Managers Not MBAs: A Hard Look at the Soft Practice of Management, believes a similar process is at work in America where credentialism is becoming seriously maladaptive in the business world. In this case, the problem isn't a restriction on commerce, but rather the opposite: the widespread rise and personal exploitation of it. The skyrocketing executive pay packages and recent corporate scandals are just two indicators of this.