the end of 2008, visits the London School of Economics, Queen Elizabeth turned to the greatest economists of the United Kingdom asking them why only few experts had predicted a disastrous financial crisis with violence was on the world economy by two and a half years now. Only ten scholars of English political economy, after fifty days, they managed to find an answer to the Queen wrote that a major reason for the inability of economists of our time to give early warnings of impending crisis is to be found in inadequate training of economists focused on mathematical techniques: economics, relegated to a marginal role in economic history, philosophy and psychology, and relying solely on the dogma of the market seems to have become, therefore, a branch of applied mathematics. These "school of free market," enemies of the state and the nationalization of industries, have for years ignored the many warnings from the few dissident voices, the dangerous instability of the global financial system. Rightly argues economist Lunghini (the manifesto, "November 18, 2009) that" there is a type of opinion other than that which can be drawn on immersing himself in literature and history, which can not be adequately expressed in mathematical models. In short, mathematics decontextualizes its objects, and in the economic field that carries the risk of reductionism and false neutrality. The only antidote is knowledge of history and awareness - awareness of the proud - the political dimension of economic analysis. " But everything came shamefully lacking in recent decades where, however, prevailed economic analysis based on mathematical models which, it is unfortunately under the eyes of all, have proved quite unable to predict the imminent disaster (Lehman Brothers, for instance, failed despite its strong staff of expert economists). There is not really that surprising, as the Economist argues Katia Caldari (the manifesto, "November 22, 2009), only if you think that even the British economist Alfred Marshall argued that economics relates to man 'of flesh and blood, "which absolutely can not" choose and act only on the basis of the calculation of personal interest, then the economy can not be reduced to a mere mathematical calculation and is not - nor can it be - an exact science, like of physics. It is an inexact science that has to do with a very complex and uncertain. Have your understanding or predicting the future in a model based on a long list of unrealistic assumptions can only lead to disappointment. "
drift technicality, that of economic studies, which means, as the economist says Becattini (the manifesto, "November 25, 2009), a waiver or, if you will, a real negation of the main task of the economist, which is "to analyze the functioning of economic systems in their entirety, including" market economy ", not simply as a means of maximizing economic welfare, but also the activation and development of intellectual potential of every people and of each layer social. The "great waste" of current capitalism, not offset by any increase in the gross domestic product, is its inability to enhance the intellectual potential of a few billion humans. Other than low wages or unemployment in the "civilized" world, this is the true and fundamental market failure. "
On January 4, 2010 she appeared in the Financial Times, a new and bitter denunciation of the failure of so-called training business school, unable to predict the extent of the catastrophic Great Depression that has plunged the world economy. The crucial problem that the financial crisis has unveiled resides, according to the article, nell'inadeguata training offered by business schools. Institutions which should be business leaders and financial and economic institutions and that, therefore, should not only take care of the technical and professional training for their students, but also inspire high ethical values \u200b\u200bto those who will become an important part of future ruling class. It seems that these big schools have failed miserably because the current ruling class, it is stated in a decision, do not care at all to pursue, but are not selfish but selfless, the public interest as it should if it had full knowledge of decide the fate, in some cases, billions of people. In this regard
is right to bring the discussion of prof. Giulio Sapelli, in an article in the Corriere Economy 'of 11 January 2010, recalls how a classic text on education of the ruling class of business (sociologists Seymour Martin Lipset and David Riesman, Education and Politics at Harvard: Two Essays Prepared for the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education, 1975) put light on the fundamental inability of Harvard University to form the ruling class because it was too insisted on education and technical and specialized education, and character education, on liberal arts education. But this study was consistently and stubbornly removed from classes American leaders all intent, instead, to launch the entire West to a devastating euphoria of consumption and material wealth, technological progress and reduction of labor costs, relegating the philosophy and liberal arts education, that even in good years had inspired capitalist corporations to social responsibility and production of goods and services, in last place among the disciplines of study, transforming in this way, destroy the already too limited financial class (that is, as explained Luciano Gallino, 120 thousand people at most, "a figure that is yes and no to the population of a district in a medium-sized city" [With the money the other p. 47]) that dominates the world and decide the fate of a gang of robbers who, without respect for human dignity and without any culture, are ready for anything - relocation of enterprises and massive layoffs, improper diversification of production, construction public works by the catastrophic impact on the environment, criminal disposal of toxic waste, assault on public services like water to impose exorbitant fees and unsustainable - as it responded to the logic of profit and stock. The cultural hegemony of this thinking, all based on logic and calculation of profit and indifferent to the public interest and ways to achieve it, has created and continues to generate a particular and expanded human-like shaped and atrophied in personality - prevented its expansion capabilities and creativity - the commodified labor, from the flat domain of technology on intelligence and the 'introjection of the obligation to consume "(L. Gallino, with other people's money).
What, then, the effect of material from the most serious consequences of this idea of \u200b\u200beconomy and society has caused?
While you are in a gradual disappearance of public spirit and progressive disintegration of the state and the civil service, institutions and administrations, which refers to the dark ages of history, the other process is disruptive in the business world and is one of the main reasons for the current economic crisis and its consequences. In recent years, the company has lost its social function related to the production of goods and services concentrating primarily on the optimization of profits in the shortest time possible, to maximize the gain of the shareholder and not bear any risk of ' undertaking, as required under the Civil Code. The role of business is, therefore, distorted, it is financialized socially responsibility away and functionalized to shareholder value (in this regard are important studies of L. Gallino: The disappearance of industrial Italy, the company irresponsible with other people's money). Given this approach, businesses no longer a social organism in order to create real value for a country, but only an instrument of profit - driven by institutional investors or brokers without any scruples nor any social responsibility, however, at least in theory have super paid managers - in which all parts can be replaced at any time: from workers to the production itself or the location of the company. The reasons for these choices are always related solely to financial reasons and do not respond to logic or consistency to a specific business idea and planning of industrial production. These arbitrary business decisions may also vary abruptly without taking into account the environmental and social consequences are often serious importance. All this leads to devastating consequences in the social fabric because if the universities do not educate and do not form the character and not create a deep historical consciousness in students may not have professionals (scientists, researchers, doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers ...) fully aware of their social function, but only individuals ready to follow the logic, even the most ruthless, bringing money and guarantee a career, a speech similar to the consequence will be, unfortunately, also true for the political class. This is something that should be emphasized if it is true that 'minds with aspirations to grow and faculty that rise from the crowd, able to lead his compatriots toward the heights of virtue, intelligence and common prosperity: these are the purposes for which calls for universities well equipped the goals that all universities are well-equipped profess to pursue. Great is the shame if, having undertaken this task and attribuitosi merit to realize it, they actually leave the unfinished "(John Stuart Mill). This
dominant thought, if you look at the trends in global policy operated by large corporations in the field of weapons of mass destruction, drugs and food, can only lead to war ... a war that, in reality, if we lose all the dignity of man, of his infinite spirit of creation and its history will not be able to take justice into HAB rabies and the animal spirits of a class of this restricted class of robbers, which dominates the planet. You can not ignore for much longer, in fact, vital issues such as global warming, depletion of mines and pollution of groundwater and land use - with terrible consequences for human health - caused by an industrial process and dedicated solely to criminal profit and reckless and destructive exploitation of natural and human resources "with the help and permission of the governments where these firms operate. Mahatma Gandhi with his wisdom and his experience said: "The earth provides enough resources for everyone's needs but not for the greed of a few '" (See Adolfo Perez Esquivel, "L'Unita, 18 November 2009 ). "Albert Einstein said:" Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. " But you should add a third: the cruelty of which men are capable "(See Adolfo Perez Esquivel, La Repubblica, December 31, 2008).
is a discourse that might seem apocalyptic if one considers that while there are a few million people in the world who earn more than $ 1,000 per hour is a billion people (one sixth of humanity [quote reports and UN FAO, 2009]) that has no access to food and water and 2.6 billion people without basic sanitation, a discourse that might seem absurd if not reflected on the fact that in Italy 10% of wealthy families owns 50% of national wealth, a discourse that might seem an exaggeration if we consider that in a city like Milan, while in Italy there are 3 million people only 50 € a month to eat, they throw 180 pounds of bread a day, a speech unacceptable in the twenty-first century unless it can be seen in our country, where the right to work and the utmost respect for those who work should be in first place, there are immigrants illegal crack back in our countries, for 14 hours a day, getting the misery of € 20 per day with a fee of 5 € to the "corporal" that makes them work.
A speech that may seem apocalyptic and absurd, exaggerated and unacceptable, but perhaps not more arbitrary way of reality that seeks to tell.
Antonio Polichetti
