A friend recommended that I read this book and it provides a very compelling insight. That perception is simply this, freedom is the reason for our progress. There has been no place in recorded history except the United States that harnessed human energy to foster progress. For 6,000 years, humans have suffered mass starvation, but in American history, hunger and famine are not problems. The poor in America today have the same amenities as the middle class in the 1950s.
Why is this important to me?
I am not doing this summary to waste your time. My vision is to provide concise action steps that you can take right now to improve your life. Dictators attempt to operate and control human energy similar to a hive. You basically have the queen bee and all the worker bees creating and sustaining life. With a true Republic, man is free and controls his own human energy. How is this related to progress? The most effective comparison you can make would be to look at East Germany vs. West Germany after World War II. When the Cold War ended, the Berlin Wall fell and East Germany found itself more than 40 years behind West Germany.
Centralized power cannot control human energy. Progress will always be stifled. That is why some of the most cruel dictators are at the heart of poverty and hunger. You can simply look for evidence in Sudan and Somalia.
The Mainspring of Human Progress dives into history and examines the issues of centralized power over creative freedom. Henry Weaver looks back and shows without a doubt that the most productive and innovative periods in history were obtained in a free society. For the sake of time, I want to profile some of the highlights.
1. Genius thrives on rivalry: If you look at all the great victories of the past, you will agree that rivalry is critical to great success. Here are some examples: Seabiscuit and War Admiral. Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. Secretariat and farce. George Patton and Rommel. This also works in business. Sales is probably the best natural competitive field because there is no second place. Either you win or you go hungry.
2. Human energy flourishes with free will: we cannot force people to do anything. There is a great debate that the pyramids of Egypt were in fact created with free labor and not with slave labor. Historians know that nothing so perfect can be created under conditions of slavery. The ingenuity that emerges from the United States is still the best in the world. People are free to play in their garage and work whatever they want to solve problems. Free will is the key to innovation.
3. Ten Commandments – The Ten Commandments are designed to emphasize individual responsibility and not centralized responsibility. Without individual responsibility and accountability, there would be anarchy. In philosophy, this is known as the difference between self-related acts and other self-related acts. There are laws to establish rules developed on other related acts. An act of selfishness is when you decide to jump off a cliff. You can die but it is your decision. An act related to others is when you push someone off that cliff. Others regarding actions need laws and consequences for actions.
4. Government: Government is not designed and will ultimately fail if it tries to support the people. The right to laziness. People support the government. Again, this is a balance because when the government gets too much power, bad things happen. We are seeing this right now in the United States. For every dollar the government spends to support itself, it borrows 40 cents. This model will collapse in the long run and change.
The Mainspring of Human Progress is an interesting book and a look back in history. The main point is that human progress flourishes in freedom. I hope this short summary has been helpful to you. The key to any new idea is to incorporate it into your daily routine until it becomes a habit. Habits are formed in just 21 days. One thing you can take away from this book is that genius thrives on rivalry. This concept is a great way to rally your troops or your own self-motivation to achieve something great.