Continued Studies; 01/05/2006

PROXIMITY

GESTATION

01/05/2006

Continued Notes

From The

Independent Studies

Of

David A. Archer

02/15/1968

Observations

Pertaining To

Social Consistencies

Within The Idea

Of

Proximity Gestation

(r.f.p.p.s.h.)

01-05-2006

In Book XXI, Chapters XX thru XXIII, Montesquieu discusses several factors which influenced the development and maintenance of European commerce.

Something that strikes me particularly, is the blindness and considerable ignorance with which Spain and Portugal acted upon the discovery of “riches” in the “New World.”

What is described in these chapters is a mistake that is so incredibly obvious that anyone can point it out. That mistake being the oversight of the effect when introducing large quantities of something seen as valuable.

It is so blatant that a person has to consider other, perhaps political motives in such actions. Were such actions in the effort to gain control politically through a form of coercive measure?

I can’t see it as entirely as such, in the dependence which is depicted of Spain in regard to its need of the Indies in the period described. In my uninformed state, I fail to see where any benefit of such economic “floods” could be of more use and outweigh a sort of “indentured” relationship (submissive) with the smaller area of the Indies.

Was it an effort to bolster the value outright in other forms and means of trade? Effort to supersede the focal point in use of boullions as standard in exchange for some other…..? Perhaps it was just that though it isn’t depicted as such.

Further such attempt seems as though it would place Spain in even a more compromising position, having far less of those “other” commodities than much of the rest of Europe. Meaning that supposing the action was in effort to shift those standards, Spain was ill equipped to sustain itself with that change. More to the point, less able than the rest of Europe to weather such a downturn with other commodities.

Factually, from what I can see so far in that dynamic – it it weren’t for the East Indies at that time, Spain would have been far worse off being that it was the Indies appetite which permitted the movement of those other commodities (already over abundant in Europe) at all – This perhaps, in conjunction with the self consuming Roman influence, may be the origins of what we now see as “consumer economy.”

Those acting as producers being entirely at the mercy of the consuming element – which we know, and quite obviously to be a grave imbalance. An imbalance that is the birthplace it would seem, of many social and economic ills. The first of which being the inspiration and reason for dangerously rapid growth of any sort of supply, then having no other option but desperation when it reaches an apex of sorts in regard to demand. That desperation then leads to a dysfunctional and disjointed relationship. Ill quality among other things as one of the results within that desperation. Amplifying the detrimental effects from otherwise healthy abundance – converting it into apparent over abundance, and in that yet again the loss of value and demand.

This effect is quite prominent in the speed of our modern day – though has developed as course within the smaller nature of business economics, just as detrimental a dynamic in providing false justifications for conglomerations through buyouts of “burn outs” – removing competition which promotes healthy economy for all. Combining the self consuming aspects I have mentioned with perpetuating a “down turn” progression, which actually gives an illusion of “growing” or getting larger.

It is really nothing more than self perpetuating demise of economic health and growth.

In that direction, sooner than later there will be only one large conglomeration of corporate entities – all related. No healthy trade in the least. Virtual monopolies which skirt written laws in forming, while producing the ill effects of monopolies. Themselves eventually crumbling under the strain of false value. Further bolstering and supporting the “need to be needed” aspects of the “Roman” standards and practices.

It leads entirely to subjugation and desperation. Collapse.

Reading further I find I divert in some degree from Montesquieu in the idea of what lends “value” to precious metals.

He states, quite physically correct in my opinion, that metal money are easier to exchange for goods/some other thing. Personally, as I have addressed, I think that the reason such “value” is placed on something such as precious metals, is very much because of what I refer to as the “loadstone quality and effect.”

At a deeper level, there is something about it that is connected with and to our existence.

For instance, the “magnetic qualities” in varying degrees between types of precious metals. Some people naturally gravitate toward one or the other, or a combination of them. With this direction and combined with the ample amounts of it – it would appear as though we have kept from ourselves a great pleasure in being able to exist surrounded with quantities of precious metals.

Essentially, from a different point of view than is basing economic value on it, we could all be living in structures lavishly laden with precious metals and there-in satisfying that natural inclination.

In many respects our civilizations and their development, have placed ourselves on a treadmill of sorts in cheating our lives of such very possible and quite simple pleasures being fulfilled. We have done so in affixing meaning to those precious metals in a direction which mandates both their scarcity and demand, unnecessarily. Unnecessarily that is, in the respect that there is very much an abundance of it and no need other than that which we have imposed on it to make it seem important beyond that natural function.

In our modern day there are several other ways in which to establish (and maintain) value within economy without having to continue such an imprisonment and vacancy of such a possible attribute within it – that being the use freely of those precious metals. It would simply be one less frivolous concern being transformed into common life experience – and in that allowing for our modern “value base” to become more diversified with other elements of value for which to base scrip on.

Sure, the over all transition might prove to be somewhat burdensome given the social conditioning on a large scale which we all have been subject to…. But it is a thought to consider the ability of living among the comforts of the most precious metals known.

An amusing thought.