An Inquiry into the Permanent Causes of the Decline and Fall of Powerful and Wealthy Nations. Designed To Shew How The Prosperity Of The British Empire May Be Prolonged

by William Playfair

A comprehensive examination of the patterns of wealth, including education, taxation and other internal and external causes.

Genres: History, Politics, Economics, Nonfiction, Classics, Political Science

440 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 17, 2012

Reviews

[John Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard of this book in James Dale Davidson's "Sovereign Individual" when he and Lord Rees Mogg were reporting their inspirations for "megapolitics" In this work William Playfair, the popularizer/inventor of time graphs, attempts to explain the cyclical rise and fall of nations by examining the economies of nations, both ancient and then contemporary. He theorizes that as a nature grows rich it looses the very virtues and practices that led to its fortune. Consequently, countries ruin themselves by becoming prosperous without fail for their riches corrupt them. Playfair thinks that there is no cure for the disease but a variety of treatments that can extend prosperity. What makes Playfair such an original thinker is his insight that certain problems cannot be solved, i.e. becoming rich changes a person's and nation's character. All that can be done is to temper prosperity so that it lasts longer than it normally would. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of why the absolute decline of the USA is inevitable - its relative decline might not happen - and how we can realistically retard that process.

[Philip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps the less said the better… It’s long, at least we can all agree there. He seems to have a problem with selling things on credit… He also seems to be incapable of imagining a circumstance whereby a growing United States might just outgrow UK not only in size but also economic capability. He sees the growth of the US as a means of assuming the continued dominance of UK manufactures for decades to come. Maybe he was right. On the whole, however, neither an edifying read, nor a memorable one.