The present analysis revisits the economics of inattention and the resulting commoditization and creation of privileged goods. These act as a significant force that pushes human history toward a future that will be less livable and sustainable. The analysis traces the roots of these developments to the reorganization of human knowing and doing by putting them on a discipline-based footing. It is part of a larger analysis that shows the need to create a different kind of scientific and technical specialization that rebalances breadth with depth, and the accompanying university reforms that will be required.
DalyH. E.CobbJ. B. (1994). For the common good: Redirecting the economy toward community, the environment, and a sustainable future. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
2.
EllulJ. (1964). The technological society. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.
3.
GerthH. H.Wright MillsC. (Eds.). (1963). From Max Weber: Essays in sociology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
4.
MannoJ. (2000). Privileged goods: Commoditization and its impact on environment and society. New York: CRC Press.
5.
VanderburgW. H. (1985). The growth of minds and cultures: A unified theory of the structure of human experience. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
6.
VanderburgW. H. (2000). The labyrinth of technology. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
7.
VanderburgW. H. (2005). Living in the labyrinth of technology. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
8.
VanderburgW. H. (2011). Our war on ourselves: Rethinking science, technology and economic growth. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
