Hormegeddon

Best-selling author Bill Bonner examines a serious problem he finds running through history and modern society: “Hormesis,” which is what happens when a little of something thrills, but too much of it kills. Bonner explains his coinage, “Hormegeddon,” as meaning having “too much of a good thing in a public policy context.” His lively lecture, which covers many instances he sees as governmental overreaching, pretty much deflates any belief that human beings can understand and control the world. He sets forth in this engagingly written, contrarian complaint to expose the lies, misunderstandings and ideologies he says have ended up in governmental errors and financial crises. When impassioned, Bonner can swing wide, blunt some sharp corners and make bold assertions, some of which are flatly judgmental. However, he anchors his opinions in historical examples of public policy gone awry. While always politically neutral, getAbstract thinks Bonner’s ardent viewpoint – agree with him or not – will intrigue those who follow social planning, political theory and economics.