The Cameralists: Pursuit of Happiness

Does it strike you that, despite the promises made to us when we were children, modern life is getting harder and less pleasurable?

We were promised that technology would free us from mundane jobs.

We were promised the "paperless office".

"They" told us that we would have more leisure time and work less, as technology would automate much of the drudgery associated with living.

Has any of this come to pass?

No. 

In fact, it seems to me, that the Human race is now going backwards towards some kind of "dark age".

In light of this,would you like to live in a place where:

• your government is committed to the education and improvement of the population via scientific and technological progress?
• politicians pursue policies encouraging individual productivity and wealth, instead of policies dedicated to confiscating what little people have left?
• the philosophy of government is to view people as divinely created?
• your government supports increased population as a way to boost national improvement and wealth?
• improvement of living standards are encouraged for all and not just a privileged few?
• society does not not assume that people will only work to survive but release people from the "need" to work meaning they are more creative and productive in their vocations?
• every person contributes and every person is looked after?
• the ultimate aim of government is to provide happiness for the people? 

You might be excused for thinking that these ideas come from communist, Utopian thinkers.

In fact, these are the ideas of the Cameralists, ideas which originated during the renaissance.

Authors Nancy Spannaus and Christopher White assert that Cameralist thinking inspired the American Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution.

In their book, "The Political Economy of the American Revolution", the authors detail how the original idea of American economics was "Cameralist" in nature.

Is it time to revisit these ideas?