I am positive about the impact that business can have on the world. Business already does some useful things and could do much more. That said, sometimes people think too much of the power of business, for good or ill. We should think through the benefits and limitations of business when it comes to sustainable…
Development And Sustainability
The world is a complex place. Countries all have their own histories, and these have intersected in the past creating some positive and other, often more noticeable, negative interactions. These feed into modern discussions. People in richer countries forget that it wasn’t always the way it is now. Sometimes they romanticize poverty in a way…
Understanding The World
Hans Rosling was truly admirable. He started as a doctor but moved to being a public figure who worked on driving greater understand of the world, especially related to health. His Gapminder Institute has some excellent resources for teaching. Indeed, they are useful for everyone whether you are in education or not. His aim was…
The Problem Of Moral Licensing
If we do one thing that we think is good, does that make us more likely to do a bad thing next time? The logic being that we have earned moral credit in the bank, so we don’t need to be as good next time to retain our self concept as a decent person. There…
Wonderful Progress Brings New Challenges
Today I’m discussing a book about possibly the most amazing progress achieved by the human race. A series of battles against sickening infectious diseases have been waged, and the outcome has been incredible. Success hasn’t been evenly distributed; health outcomes are very obviously still not equitable across the world. Still, success has been very real….
Waiting For The End Of The World
I’m not a fan of doomsday cults. It always seems so arrogant to think that of all the people who have been born, and will be born, you will happen to have secured a seat at doomsday. It seems unlikely. Remember, the guy running the cult in your hometown isn’t going to usher in the…
Learn About Business Before Discussing Business
Businesspeople can often think they know more about the world than they do. CEOs share their barely coherent thoughts on current affairs. It is annoying. People involved in sustainability are right to be irritated when they hear such nonsense. Yet, the opposite is also true. If you don’t know anything about business, it is not…
Teaching About Climate Change
Teaching about climate change is a significant problem in modern universities. Ahmed Afzaal has a book that addresses university professors who are teaching, in what he calls, our Predicament. The title, Teaching at Twilight, suggested a more downbeat view of the world than I have but that is an excellent reason to read a book….
Hiding Their Good Works
There is plenty of bad environmental news and even worse news about environmental policy. (And not just in the US but that is the epicenter). Still, there are reasons for optimism which are often worth holding onto and sharing. Andrew Winston, a prolific writer on sustainable business, gave his views on 2025’s Climate Week in…
Beware Binary Thinking About Politics
A group of scholars have tackled what is a significant problem in much of the research in the field of marketing. They note that the previously published research predominately sees political ideology in binary terms. There is a Conservative (or Republican) bucket and a Liberal (or Democratic) bucket. This causes problems. Their message is simple,…
