Seeing like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed
James C. Scott's research for this book began with an examination of the  tensions between state authorities and various "unstable" individuals  throughout history, from hunter-gatherer tribes to Gypsies to the homeless. He soon  became fascinated, however, by the recurring patterns of failure and authoritarianism in  certain social engineering programs aimed at bringing such people fully into the state's  fold. Soviet collectivization, the Maoist Great Leap Forward, the precisely planned city  of Brasilia--these and other projects around the world, while deeply ambitious, extracted  immeasurable tolls on the people they were designed to help.One of the most important common factors that Scott found in these schemes is what he  refers to as a high modernist ideology. In simplest terms, it is an extremely firm belief  that progresscanandwillmake the world a better place. But  "scientific" theories about the betterment of life often fail to take into account  "the indispensable role of practical knowledge, informal processes, and  improvisation in the face of unpredictability" that Scott views as essential to an effective society. What  high modernism lacks ismetis, a Greek word which Scott translates as "the  knowledge that can only come from practical experience." Althoughmetisis closely related to the concept of "mutuality" found in the anarchist writings  of, among others, Kropotkin and Bakunin, Scott is careful to emphasize that he is not  advocating the abolition of the state or championing a complete reliance on natural  "truth." He merely recognizes thatsometypes of states can initiate  programs which jeopardize the well-being of all their subjects.Although the collapse of most socialist governments might lead one to believe thatSeeing Like a Stateis old news, Scott's analysis should prove extremely useful to  those considering the effects of global capitalism on local communities.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.