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The grand delusion

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From: International Herald Tribune
Date: 20060929
Author:David Brooks

David Brooks
International Herald Tribune
09-29-2006
You probably know Daniel Defoe as the author of ''Robinson Crusoe,'' but he was also a journalist, and in 1705, he noticed a gigantic change occurring around him. ''The Power of Nations,'' he wrote, ''is not now measur'd, as it has been, by Prowess, Gallantry, and Conduct. 'Tis the Wealth of Nations that makes them Great.''In other words, nations had begun measuring themselves not by whom they conquered, but by how they fared in the competition for economic success. This was a major shift in consciousness, and as the great historian of ...

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