Ruminations on worldviews, beliefs, and statism

Aweh dearly beloved fellow ruminants & groupies

This week some more eclectic philosophical ramblings from an ageing privileged white cisgender male with a colonial background on the taboo topic of politics. This week I have been marking several post-graduate student essays discussing the issues associated with the potential phasing out of coal in South Africa over the coming decades.

On one level the energy transition is a technical and economic problem, and this is the area where an engineer like me is most comfortable. But the energy transition is called the just energy transition (JET) which includes social justice which then inevitably brings politics into the equation. Now you need to confront your own worldview and associated beliefs. How does one arrive at the worldview and beliefs that we all have? Perhaps that is a trite question? I guess it is partly related to your upbringing, education, work, and life experience but I would also hope that this is influenced by the empirical evidence around you and some application of the scientific method.

In the featured four-box matrix image I have plotted where I see myself on a simple political spectrum.  The horizontal axis reflects left-wing or right-wing political views and the vertical axis reflects anarchy at the bottom and authoritarianism at the top. As an aside many years of interaction with highly paid management consultants have taught me that all complex problems can be reduced to a four-box matrix. I am a capitalist with a light touch of libertarian leanings. Just as a reminder libertarianism is a political philosophy that advocates only minimal state intervention in the free market and the private lives of citizens.

Why do I hold these views? Can one give a scientific answer as to why you hold certain political views? Perhaps there are no wrong or right answers here and one finds very clever people all over this spectrum. Of course, I would like to think that there are rational, evidence-based reasons for why I hold my views. Capitalism has lifted billions out of poverty but left unchecked it has not been great at dealing with inequality or tackling environmental problems. What about statism?  Statism is the principle or policy of concentrating extensive economic, political, and related controls in the state at the cost of individual liberty.  

During most of the 20th-century statism caused untold misery and suffering for billions of people in the Eastern Bloc and China. But then China changed and demonstrated that a Chinese version of statism can transform a poor country. The progress of China over the last thirty years has been nothing short of astonishing. The state is still authoritarian and human and individual rights are not great. The recent handling of the Covid pandemic in Shanghai with brutal shut downs is a reminder of the state’s power in China. I for one am pleased that I was not living in Shanghai during this period. This is just one demonstration that the state remains large and in charge in China.

Let’s now turn our thinking to South Africa and the postgraduate students that I am teaching.  Of course, they are individuals and hold differing views but most of them hold very strong statist views. The very significant problems in South Africa can and should be solved by a strong, interventionist, and protectionist state. To say that there is an ideological gap between myself and these students is putting it mildly. Perhaps China is the role model for what South Africa could become.

To what extent are my views relevant? I am an ageing dinosaur representing a decreasing minority. The future is not going to be determined by me but by the young graduates and leaders. Will a Chinese version of statism emerge and be successful in South Africa? I doubt it. The South African state is failing in the most basic provision of services and the evidence is all around us. Notwithstanding this, the statist faction in South Africa is significant and strongly believes statism can work in South Africa.

Together with the statist views come strong protectionist views. Local industries should be protected with high enough tariffs to allow reindustrialisation of South Africa and create jobs. The higher prices that consumers would have to pay are justified by the jobs created.  This is part of a global swing to more protectionism. If I ask the question, what should we make the very quick response is everything.

I then turn to the example of LCD display panels which are ubiquitous. We all own several of them in our phones, tablets, computers, cars, and TVs to mention just a few. The technology in these screens is highly sophisticated and proprietary involving decades of research and closely held intellectual property.

I consulted the oracle, ChatGPT, who informed me Asia is the dominant region in the global LCD panel manufacturing industry. According to a report by the market research firm Technavio, Asia accounted for around 92% of the global LCD panel production in 2020, with China, South Korea, and Taiwan being the major manufacturing hubs in the region. ChatGPT was not aware of any LCD panel manufacture in South Africa.

Is there a nascent South African LCD panel manufacturing industry protected by high tariffs? Should we start researching and developing LCD panel technology and manufacture? Think of all the jobs we could create. The market is huge. Would I invest even one dollar of my own money into South African LCD technology development and manufacture? Hell no. Will South Africa start to manufacture LCD panels competitively?  I am prepared to bet against it.

What should South Africa make? The state knows the answer to this question and industrial policy provides the answers.

Thank you for all the ideas and comments. I really appreciate them and please keep them coming.

Regards

Bruce