How many wives does Roan Tom have? He has two with him on Nike. However, he also reflects that, if he does not return to Kraken soon, then:
"...that would be a mortally dangerous situation for his other wives, children, grandchildren, old and good comrades...." (p. 517)
Tom tells Engineer Weyer that he can help him to forecast the turbulent Nikean weather, thus preventing a lot of regular damage:
"'You can share the information with all Nike, or keep it your national secret. Could be useful, if you feel like maybe the planet should have a really strong Emperor, name of Weyer, for instance.'" (p. 536)
Nikeans will benefit whether the knowledge is shared or monopolized but the former is preferable although Tom, who can currently deal only with Weyer, does not have to take a stand on the issue. Companies take legal action about copyright to Covid vaccinations. Knowledge of vaccinations should be for humanity, not for profit.
3 comments:
If there's no profit, they won't do it in the first place. The best feature of market economies is that they harness desire for profit to the common good, at least a good deal of the time.
As Adam Smith pointed out, a farmer's desire to sell wool at a profit puts clothes on your back.
Kaor, Paul!
Exactly, which is why I disagree with Paul. Efforts by the state, any state, to regulate an economy for the alleged benefit of all unfailingly ends in simply not WORKING. Either a gruesome catastrophe like the USSR or "merely" corruption, bungling, ruinous incompetence.
Ad astra! Sean
And that will remain so until those of us who believe that a better world is possible are able to demonstrate it in practice. Meanwhile, the state of the world remains catastrophic and chaotic.
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