The Secret Island

By Alan Ecob

An extraordinary adventure in which a Rousseauesque natural man living in an idyllic island is frustrated to find that the mystery of money precludes him from proceeding with his capitalist vision until a possible solution by negative inflation is explained to him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Alan Ecob
• Release date: Jul 28, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370351619

Alan Ecob

I'm a retired accountant interested in the interface between classic accounting and orthodox economics. By 'classic' I mean the accounting that emerged from Italy in the 1300s and the advent of consolidated accounting in the USA in the 1890s with the formation of United States Steel. Also interested in philosophy and a fan of Wittgenstein's 'final solution' in his Tractatus. I live in Lane Cove, Sydney, Australia. As a hobby I run a U3A creative writing group. My only hard published book is my M. Phil Thesis: Education as a Solution to the Problems of Western Civilization? available from Sydney University's Fisher Library.

Book preview

Introduction

Who could think that a small Pacific Island inhabited by only two adult males, Robinson Crusoe V and Man Friday V, could show Western Civilization the way forward from what is becoming a global crisis? As Harvard economist David Kotz in his 2015 The Rise and Fall of Neoliberal Capitalism makes clear, our present system, made possible by the early '70s deregulation of the world financial sector, with effects impacting from the early '80s, must, unless it can replace itself, inevitably FALL.

How come? He advances two linked reasons for this:

The system requires ever-growing markets for its unending expansion. This in our finite world! Enough said.

The astonishing realization that the system's imperative demand for these ever-growing markets becomes anobstacleto itsownfurther progress. This is where we are now.

To consider this matter further, enjoy the story of The Secret Island:

His voice on the phone was deep and strong. A voice used to commanding. "Abe? Good. I want you down here at Finger Wharf 10 at ten tomorrow morning. Its in