A must-read

Since I've broken my promise not to blog, I might as well ignore it. So I'll take this opportunity to tell you about a book I've read this week, truly one of the most riveting and accomplished books I've come across in ages.

Since I've broken my promise not to blog, I might as well ignore it. So I'll take this opportunity to tell you about a book I've read this week, truly one of the most riveting and accomplished books I've come across in ages.

It's 'Sex, Science and Profits - how people evolved to make money' by Prof Terence Kealey. I can't remember being so engrossed in a book for a long while. The sweep is fantastic - he goes through all human history and discusses what lies behind economic growth and entrepreneurialism. The fundamental premise of the book is that the Baconian theory of science is wrong: 'pure' scientific breakthroughs are not best achieved through state funding, and pure science does not lead to practical technological advances which make money, rather it is the reverse. Practical advances tend to be incorporated into pure science.

I don't agree with everything he writes - he is decidedly against patents - but I cannot recommend the book too highly, not least for the magisterial way in which he dismisses the ever-present pleas (more like demands) for government funding of science and research.

Really, this is a book which simply has to be read by anyone with an interest in the pursuit of knowledge and economic growth.