From: petia koleva [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2000 12:59 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [CSL] Re: Partnerships in the New Economy
Hi all,
It may be that I have the position of an outsider when it comes to
conferences and symposiums as the one mentioned here. However, my
limited experience has made me wonder if anyone involved in such events
truly believes that within two days and international collection of
professionals and scholars can answer adequately at least one of the
broadly raised issues like :Sustainable growth and the Internet. My
observation has been that no conclusions are ever reached and the only
result is networking which is rather business and private oriented.
Besides, the proliferation's of information which supposedly circulates
among those congregations often remains piles of unread and unseen or
unnoticed materials.
The very idea of a knowledge fair is absurd and antithetical to an
attempt at understanding and dealing with a phenomenon of any
complexity. Such meetings deserve more the title of vanity fair. At a
first glance already the long list of themes and topics suggests a
particular US focus on current global economic trends. While this is an
aspect of relevance the most intriguing part of it is not the
"unprecedented growth" of the US economy and decrease of unemployment,
which according to other sources is by far an increase, but the
strategies in which other economies are shoved off the territory of the
so called open market. There are a number of terms here which are used
in a "self obvious" way that is not at all evident in practice. Thus,
the link between economic progress and civil society can not be
discussed within economic terms especially when those have been
criticized and denounced as a trap for individual freedom and rights for
a few decades already. It is precisely the fabricated notion of economic
progress which protects the irresponsible decisions of companies and
corporations in tearing down attempted equilibrium of natural
ecological, geological, national and human balance on this planet. What
is more, the fact that market competition is not at all disciplining but
an area devoid of ethical consideration has been a discussion of long
standing to be overlooked once again. What hope is there to talk about
"is there anew age we live in, and what should be done" again and again
on levels where people are the "experts" entrusted to deal with these
realities. Questioning is effectively done by philosophers of all the
relevant disciplines, whereas the ambiguous people behind the title of
policy makers are supposedly meeting at such conferences and forums in
order to move into the area of practical decisions. I did not come
across any of those sensitive items for debate which makes me wonder why
would the convention be held in Europe with an implied global
objectivity of its investigations.
Best regards, petya
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