Here is the problem. One of the most important ideas available to humans is ‘positive sum’. The term comes from game theory. It came into common use after the Korean War. But it describes the greatest human invention of all: commerce.
Commerce is uniquely a ‘positive sum’ process. When two people voluntarily carry out an exchange, the outcome is a ‘positive sum’. Both people are better off. The same is true for nations and for the entire planet that participates in commerce.
Virtually nothing else that humans do is positive sum. Not religion, not government and not statecraft, not language, not anything. Knowledge can be voluntarily exchanged and it is. This is especially true in technology.
However, as I have argued many times, technology without commerce is irrelevant. The Greeks and the Chinese had brilliant technology millennia ago. But it was meaningless because it was not in a commercial society where it could spread and attain market value.
I have found that most people might know the term ‘positive sum’ but they don’t understand the concept. Deep in their bones, virtually no one understands ‘positive sum’ otherwise my pro commerce campaign would be irrelevant…. everyone would be screaming about how wonderful commerce is.
Positive sum means the more everyone voluntarily exchanges and participates in commerce, the better off everyone is. Better off in physical, financial and emotional terms.
Therefore we need a new term for ‘positive sum’ that communicates the idea effectively. Positive sum is a tent pole idea. It holds up an entire worldview of health, happiness and prosperity.
What is a new and appropriate term?
Is there also a symbol that will convey the same idea?