This is a very uplifting and positive book considering that it was written by an economist. If I were a Socialist, I would easily give this book 4 or 5 stars. In fact, I would give chapters 1-5 four starts right now. Capitalism is changing, and the accounting hasn't kept up. Rather than producing material items, we are producing non-material wealth through advanced software and communications (mainly the Internet). We make better decisions; we learn through better resources in our spare time. The full gain is not always captured, and we want to make sure society gets the full benefit instead of a chosen few.

The book asks how cognitive changes interact with modern Capitalism. Does everything have to have a market price (i.e. paid software)? Why can't we freely distribute things that are available and free instead of extracting a pound of flesh? It's wonderful to think that this could happen. Unfortunately, it turned into a discussion of why Socialism is the best answer. I saw no obvious connection between these ideas. All of the usual problems with Socialism are ignored. It would be a fair statement that my political differences with the author prevented me from enjoying the second half of his book.

Despite my political differences, buried in this text is a brilliant psychology/business book. The idea that workers flourish in an environment that is not command and control is relevant. Creating work that allows us to use our creativity and feel like we are in control is important. Humans are not worker drones. When you allow people to think and work freely, they can give their greatest contributions without having to feel like slaves. ( )