Mutant coronaviruses – they are only being human
The language of mutant viral infection and disease is dark and ominous, yet it is describing something that is essentially human – or perhaps the fact that humans are essentially viral, writes…
Encipia
The two phases of the coronavirus
July 17 marked the 200th day of counting the number of infections and deaths arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, writes Dr John Egan. This count by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and…
Covid conundrum: interact, produce, consume, or infect
There are early signs to suggest that a coronavirus and a steam engine have enough in common to provide a useful perspective for our economic well-being, writes Dr John Egan in part…
Maxwell’s Brexit: A case of intangible destruction
Strip away from Brexit the bitterness, debate and division and what is left – an abrupt change of circumstance with a future that is unknowable, concludes John Egan. There has been no…
Maxwell’s Consumer: seeking a sustainable world
The recent uprising of the Gilets Jaunes in France is one idiosyncratic national reaction to a global problem. But global problems demand global answers and Maxwell’s demon offers a possible solution, writes…
Maxwell’s Entrepreneur: finding the edge
If there is a powerful take-home message from last week – for chief-execs and business students alike – the succinct observations of Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, on “thoughtful disagreement” would…
Analysis: Amazon and the power of capital
On the 150th anniversary of the publication of Karl Marx’s Das Kapital, we add our energy-dissipative view of the interactions of labour and capital in the operations of a commercial enterprise. Boil…
Analysis: an Apple that just keeps on rising
Imagine Apple Inc. as a quintessentially huge machine fuelled by investment, converting labour into value and, via sales, into revenue and profit. John Egan looks beyond the data to what is happening at…
‘Consumptivity’: the heartbeat of a modern economy
At the heart of a modern economy there beats a pacemaker with a rhythm that in large part sets its productivity, its exchange rates and the prosperity of its people. John Egan…
The Labour Theory of Value
In the works of 19th century political economists, the understanding of the nature of value is of major significance. The Labour Theory of Value is its foundation stone, writes John Egan. In…