The Tyranny of Dead Ideas: Letting Go of the Old Ways of Thinking to Unleash a New Prosperity

by Matt Miller and Matt Miller

Book Overview

A leading political and business thinker identifies the greatest threat to our economic future: the things we think we know-but don't America is at a crossroads. In the face of global competition and rapid technological change, our economy is about to face its most severe test in nearly a century-one that will make the recent turmoil in the financial system look like a modest setback by comparison. Yet our leaders have failed to prepare us for what...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805087877
• ISBN13: 9780805087871
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Times Books
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

The Tyranny of Dead Ideas

Excellent book! I recommended it to friends and co-workers.Everything explained in the book is a reflection of our society.Every teacher,principal and school personnel should read it,because our children are the most affected by dead ideas that some people still want to impose them.

Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence...

When I took up this book it was because of the title which intrigued me. On the face of it, I assumed it would be one of the usual diatribes against market ideas which have particularly come to prominence in the aftermath of the financial crisis which currently grips the world. As I got into it though I found a thoughtful book which challenges a number of basic assumprtions which lie at the heart of the current version of American Democracy and economic policymaking and which will probably generate a lot of opposition. Ideas are fundamental to the way which we view the world throughout all levels of our existence and however we interact whether we know it or not.Waging the War of Ideas (Occasional Paper, 119) John Maynard Keynes famously said of ideas that the world is ruled through little elseThe General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and he may have been right. Matt Miller sets out his basic premises of how Americans view their world and the book establishes what those premises are and how they came to be established in the American psyche. They essentially fill out the conceptual notions of the American dream being implemented in today's society and cultural identity. Furthermore, he goes on to challenge those notions in the face of the economic reality which has faced most of the industrialised countries over recent years and which is finally engulfing the United States which hitherto has withstood the gales of creative destruction. Miller's analysis is important particularly because he has been an insider in the previous Democrat administration and clearly knows his way around and also because he does not appear to be an ideologue in the sense of being wedded to any particular political or economic philosophy, but especially because he does not appear to be anti-market. This last qualification is one which I particularly stress because whilst the financial mess has generated a lot of bluster about market failures, the truth of the matter is that there are no alternatives to market provision which have been found to be sustainable. Whereas I feel that view he puts forward about globalisation is somewhat hysterical, I also respect that he has genuine concerns about it's impact and the requirement for amelioration of it's worst effects, especially in the United States which has hidden behind protectionist measures for so long that it will be adversely affected. My main points about this book are twofold. Firstly, whilst I see much within the analysis I have some strong disagreements with the conclusions but given my very strong beliefs in the free market and with free trade, that is only to be expected and i respect his well argued views. The second point is one where the book has considerable strength but which I feel will be very contentious for most Americans and I suspect that there will be very strong knee jerk reactions to the central message. That central point is right at the heart of how America views itself in the wor

Tyranny of Dead Ideas

Matt Miller makes an excellent case in Americas's status quo attitude and thinking. A must read for anyone who cares about our country and should be REQUIRED READING FOR ALL POLITICIANS (federal, state and local). Lloyd Kansas City

Don't Read This Book if You Fear Change

Don't read The Tyranny of Dead Ideas: Letting Go of the Old Ways of Thinking to Unleash a New Prosperity if you're seriously entrenched or otherwise fully invested in the "way things work". You won't like what Matt Miller has to say. It's revolutionary. The Tyranny of Dead Ideas: Letting Go of the Old Ways of Thinking to Unleash a New Prosperity proposes that not only does this set of ideas way past their prime hold us back from experiencing prosperity and indeed, happiness - but by holding on to them, giving them endless mouth-to-mouth in a vain attempt at resuscitating them, we are creating an extremely dangerous financial, social and psychological situation for America. On the other hand, if you're tired of "staying the course" as our mothership, the U.S.A., sinks deeper and deeper beneath the waves of conventional wisdom, than this book is a MUST read for you. The most frightening messages The Tyranny of Dead Ideas imparts are the simple truths - you know the ones our political and business leaders shield us po' citizens from, on the basis that little old us "can't handle the truth". In actuality it is our "leaders" who can't handle the truth, heck the rest of us are primed for a healthy dose of CHANGE aren't we? The truths are basically this - the world is a vastly different place than it was in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. And its about time we stop trying to live in the past, touting Miller's dead ideas and praying for a miracle - it ain't coming. Miller deftly explains the origins of each dead idea - how it came to be written in stone, why it is no longer viable, and also how it needs to change in order to ensure the future of this country and its citizens. He also proposes a series of "Tomorrow's Destined Ideas" which reads like a useful, do-able instruction manual that every elected politician ought to have a copy of. But its not just the politicos that have to start to rearrange their thinking - it is all of us. This just isn't the post WWII boom time anymore. We have to look at the world differently. Technology, globalization, the world is shrinking fast and our - at times - overfed American egos are running out of room. I recommend reading The Tyranny of Dead Ideas: Letting Go of the Old Ways of Thinking to Unleash a New Prosperity - in fact, I recommend everyone over 20 years old read this book. It will help to understand why as a nation we are suffocating under our own weight, what we can - all of us - do about it, and why we have to start doing things differently right now. Read it to know why this set of dead ideas - some of which define us as Americans - must be put to rest in order to save our country. You may not like what you read, but it will arguably be the cold, hard truth.

The "Must-Read" Policy Book

If you are interested in government policy --- the role the government can play in improving society, or even in preventing decline --- this is one book that must be on your reading list. And you will enjoy it. Miller has experience and training as a lawyer and as a business consultant and has worked in the federal government and as an opinion columnist and radio host. These varied skills and experience are all on display as Miller takes readers on a pithy, informative and entertaining journey through the major challenges facing the country and practical, viable ways of addressing them, if we are willing to release ourselves from "dead ideas" --- the political orthodoxies that constrain action. Miller is a pragmatist with a heart of gold, and all readers will be challenged and engaged by his suggestions, and this book's relevance could not be greater at this time.