Paul Midler

First the bad:

There is one big, huge problem with this book. None of it is "falsifiable". That is a specific term to indicate that this book is entirely - entirely - comprised of the author's own experiences. While not doubting that these events happened, there is no way to see to what extent his experiences are representative of the system (China export manufacturing) as a whole.

Truly, there is not one single attempt to reference even one China-wide study, or area-wide study, or academic paper concerning any of the topics covered. Such studies would be falsifiable: someone could survey the same area, or interpret the same statistical sources for the same time, or for later, or for similar area, and find that "Well, it's more like this". Or, maybe they would find exactly what Paul Miller has been indicting. OK, great. But now we have something testable, something falsifiable that hasn't (or maybe 'has') been found to be incorrect.

Note: This is exactly the same problem with Das Kaptial (Marx's "Captial"). It is not falsifiable because it is comprised entirely of individual experiences, with a universal principle invented on top of each individual experience.

The Good:

This book is a great insight in to, really, another world. Yes, we have taken the Chinese as our western view of them. Now businesses are piling into China because they see it as the way forward, without even contemplating the reality of who and what they are partnering with. Let's make it clear: (1) The Chinese aren't stupid, and (2) You think you're going to rip the Chinese off!? Nope.… (meer)