ENTREPRENEURIALISM
What is entrepreneurialism?
Entrepreneurialism is a purposeful rationale for behaviour. Although both hedonism and egoism have a place in one's personal life, the major shortcoming of each is actually the same, namely the lack of anything worthwhile. If a person's motivation consists solely of "having a good time" and/or "getting their own way", it does NOT have what Webster's New World Dictionary defines as that which will make it worthwhile, namely something of true value. The way a person acquires that true value is through commitment to a project that holds the promise of significant accomplishment, which is through entrepreneurialism. The entrepreneur strives to move resources out of less productive activities and into more productive activities. "Productive" in this personal sense includes the rationality of both means AND ends.
There are, of course, criminals and shysters that claim the mantle of entrepreneurialism for their activities too, but they should be avoided and their advice ignored. Anyone who, for any reason, lets means trump ends as their primary modus operandi, is not to be trusted or emulated. Those, for instance, who insist that profitability justifies everything, might consider that by far their most profitable course would be to spend nothing whatsoever on themselves because that diminishes their bottom line - better a profitable death than a penurious life. Those without that level of commitment to profitability themselves shouldn't expect equally absurd commitments from others either.
How is entrepreneurialism manifest?
The key to effective entrepreneurialism is sustainability. Thorstein Veblen said that the main characteristic of businessmen was their desire "to get something for nothing". Modern commerce and modern governance have taught the public to adopt this same attitude in the years since Veblen. More and more people don't want to think about the implications of their current and aspirant life-styles, namely that they are NOT based on sustainability. They are looking for personal fulfillment through social squandering of their ecological heritage - not very worthwhile!
The one truly good idea in the midst of all this carnage, is that the most productive resource with which to tackle this, or any other challenge is our accumulating knowledge (cognitive and effective). The accumulating character of knowledge makes it a resource different from all the others that have served as a platform for entrepreneurialism in previous human eras. What this unique development implies is that the future of entrepreneurialism, and of knowledge, and of society, are now all part of that new synthesis of sustainability that humanity has yet to formulate. Now that's something truly worthwhile to engage in.
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