I'm convinced that the evolutionary algorithm (variety, selection, and replication) is fundamental to our understanding of human prosperity. Critically, we must maintain a competitive willingness and ability to engage in trade. As Matt Ridley wrote recently:
Prosperity consists of getting more and more narrow in what you make and more diverse in what you buy. Self-sufficiency--subsistence--is poverty.
I suspect the greatest risk to the continued prosperity of the United States may well be self-inflicted. That is, our fear of the risks inherent in interacting with "outsiders" could lead to the false sense of security imparted by relative isolation (see North Korea). As Andy Hargadon notes:
We can talk all we want about corporate cultures, garage start-ups, and our legacy of innovation but if history tells us anything, it's that nothing endures. Moving forward, our ability to innovate hinges on how we choose to tolerate, assimilate, and build on the ideas of others--and how we manage the intolerance of others threatened by this process.
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