COMMERCE, n. A kind of transaction in which A plunders from B the goods of C, and for compensation B picks the pocket of D of money belonging to E.
Interpretation
Commerce is portrayed as a complex web of exploitation among different parties.
Ambrose Bierce's quote sharply critiques the nature of commerce by depicting it as a transaction filled with deceit where one party benefits by essentially stealing from another, while also taking from a third party to further their gains. It serves to highlight the moral ambiguities and ethical dilemmas inherent in commercial transactions, suggesting that economic activities often involve manipulation and exploitation rather than fair exchange.
In practice
This quote can be used in a debate about ethical business practices.
PALM, n. A species of tree . . . of which the familiar "itching palm" ("Palma hominis") is most widely distributed . . . . This noble vegetable exudes a kind of invisible gum, which may be detected by applying to the bark a piece of gold or silver.
Human nature is pretty well balanced; for every lacking virtue there is a rough substitute that will serve at a pinch--as cunning is the wisdom of the unwise, and ferocity the courage of the coward.
Indigestion: A disease which the patient and his friends frequently mistake for deep religious conviction and concern for the salvation of mankind. As the simple Red Man of the Western Wild put it, with, it must be confessed, a certain force: 'Plenty well, no pray; big belly ache, heap God.'
Disobey n:To celebrate with an appropriate ceremony the maturity of a command
NOUMENON, n. That which exists, as distinguished from that which merely seems to exist, the latter being a phenomenon. The noumenon is a bit difficult to locate; it can be apprehended only by a process of reasoning - which is a phenomenon.
PARDON, v. To remit a penalty and restore to the life of crime. To add to the lure of crime the temptation of ingratitude.
There is a broad consensus, not only in the United States but in most of the world, that if you are in an economic downturn, you need to stimulate. Germany seems to be an exception.
With neoliberalism discredited and austerity failed, we need to rewrite the rules of the economy once again. But this time in the right way. We need rules that focus on long-term economic growth, and the only kind of sustainable prosperity is shared prosperity.
We cannot live without trade. A society can neither advance nor improve without excess of disposable income. This excess can only be amassed through the production of goods and services necessary or attractive to the mass. A financial system which allows this leads to inequality; one that does not leads to mass starvation.
The value of a thing is the amount of laboring or work that its possession will save the possessor.
The benefit of appointing a hawkish central banker is the increased inflation-fighting credibility that such an appointment brings.
History proves... that a smart central bank can protect the economy and the financial sector from the nastier side effects of a stock market collapse.
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