Thinking out loud

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Who runs the world...

Was talking to a friend today. Discussing strange things like fixed and floating currency exchange rates etc... about which neither of us knows much. In any case the discussion led to this friend saying that we shouldn't worry because its the engineers who run the world after all. I was almost knocked off my feet. Did he really think engineers run the world?? Atleast I don't carry around that illusion. I kind of figured its the economists who do. Their policies determine the fates of millions of people of a country. But then, do economists get to implement all the policies they want? I'm not so sure... perhaps their political masters are in control. But they are supposedly controlled by the voters, the citizens. So do the citizens run the world? I don't quite think so. So what makes it go?? Somebody! HELP!

posted by Parijat at 10:58 AM

9 Comments:

  • This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    By Blogger Prashant Pawan, at 11:14 AM  

  • Energy! my friend, energy runs the world! All the crap about arms in iraq, iran...all for oil. In that sense if an engineer can come up with a better, cleaner fuel, he would in one sense run the world:D

    But to be more moderate, i wud say no one particular thing?
    the most comforting thing is that the world is run by so many factors which can correct each other.

    By Blogger Prashant Pawan, at 11:17 AM  

  • Then explain Al Qaeda to me. And explain Lebanon.

    By Blogger Parijat, at 11:18 AM  

  • US interferes with the middle east owing to oil interests. and since middle east dont like this there is Al Qaeda...and there is saddam...where do they get all their money from?

    By Blogger Prashant Pawan, at 11:29 AM  

  • I meant explain what Al Qaeda did to its own people in Afghanistan. Refer my previous post.

    By Blogger Parijat, at 11:35 AM  

  • I think I gave my answer in the post itself :). Nevertheless a very interesting post.

    What I really feel that there are three things:
    1. Power
    2. Money
    3. Knowledge

    The one who has all the three runs the world.

    By Blogger Manas Pathak, at 11:44 AM  

  • If you'd believe Alvin Toffler, Money/Knowledge is power itself. Yet its not very clear if knowledge is the key or information in the future society. While we elitists would like to believe that its knowledge, I have a vague suspicion that it is infact information and that has nothing to do with academic qualification at all.

    By Blogger Parijat, at 11:48 AM  

  • The last 2 comments remind me of a popular thiruvilaiyadal (means God's play in tamil) that is kind of based on whether knowledge or wealth or bravery (we can translate to power) is more powerful. In this Lord Shiva plays a prank through Narada pitting Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga against each other i think. In the end they realise all 3 are important...

    By Blogger Sabarish Sasidharan, at 2:07 PM  

  • And who runs the world? Its hard to pinpoint one individual/society/group/emotion as the sole runner of the world. Finally i think it all boils down to the feelings, emotions of people in their various roles of citizens, diplomats, engineers etc... hahaha thats kind of going back to square one.

    By Blogger Sabarish Sasidharan, at 2:11 PM  

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