The Sovereign Individual: Mastering the Transition to the Information Age

by James Dale Davidson, William Rees-Mogg, Lord William Rees-Mogg

Book Overview

Two renowned investment advisors and authors of the bestseller The Great Reckoning bring to light both currents of disaster and the potential for prosperity and renewal in the face of radical changes in human history as we move into the next century.

The Sovereign Individual details strategies necessary for adapting financially to the next phase of Western civilization.

Few observers of the late twentieth century...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684832720
• ISBN13: 9780684832722
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it!

So said a wise philospher!This book could have easily had this maxim as its subtitle. The authors cogently, and compellingly use historical trends to show that democracy as we know it is at an end. Many will decry this book's "apocalyptic tone" but the fact remains that statistics don't lie: the majority of people do not vote in any election, which is one of the leading indicators of a democracy's demise. The authors use the example of the Roman church's hold on power during the Dark ages as a prime example of a system that lost its hold due to decadence from within. Because the leader's lived large at the expense of the common man, people no longer felt that religion had a relevence to their lives. The same is true with politics today. We all know that the ruling class in this country lives large with perquisities and privaleges befitting royalty, all at taxpayer expense. Washington, or "inside the Beltway," is perceived as being so far removed from our daily lives that most politicians are looked upon with derision. Just watch how mercilessly they are pillioried in the popular culture, and in the media. This contempt for the nobles is but one of many signs that the nation-state is at an end. It is very hard to get the average person to understand that times have changed, and the changes will dramatically effect our lives in every way. It is natural to want to hold onto what is familiar and safe. But the things that will be, will be regardless of protest or mawkish sentimentality, and these two authors have their fingers on the pulse of the future.

Future Trends and being Financially Independent

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad Poor Dad recommends The Sovereign Individual as one of the must-read books for those who want to be Financially Independent. I like this book for its contribution to future-trend-watching. It ranks as one of the essential readings for those who want to be Financially Independent.James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg are experts at predicting future trends and tailoring financial strategies and self-reliant measures to protect oneself against the future. The Sovereign Individual is about self-accountability and taking action. The Sovereign Individual is not beholden to his government and looks out for himself/herself and his/her loved ones. The Sovereign Individual takes steps to ensure his/her physical safety, job/business and finances.This book challenges the concept of nationhood and all the propaganda fed to us. The concept of nationhood as we have come to known is a relatively young one and not necessarily a good one. Governments, spouting patriotism, can make use of its people for its own ends e.g. burdensome taxes, raising armies for wars, treating its citizens like low-classed employees - all for the benefit of a select elite few.A warning for the interested would-be reader. The Sovereign Individual is written in the typical Davidson/Rees-Mogg famed-style - alarmist, paranoid and hyberbolic. I urge the reader to see pass this style because there is much to be gained from reading this book.For the interested reader, I would also recommend The Roaring 2000s by Harry Dent.

A profound attempt to anticipate the macro-future of humanit

Those who worship the State as their true God hate this book and its authors, are startled and angered by their own attraction to its core ideas and their lack of ability to refute those ideas. Fewof them are insightful enough to realize that the only serious vulnerability of the Davidson-Rees Mogg thesis is their dogmatic and poorly explained assertion that the State cannot devise means to control and tax the internet and its users. The authors, whose adumbration of the manner in which civilization and mankind was brought to their present conditions and characteristics is superb, original and most convincing, would be well-advised to devote their next book to telling us just why and how the State will be prevented from working its will in cyberspace while individuals will not. There are strong arguments against this notion, and if they cannot be effectively disposed of, all the rest of this book is simply a rambling exposition of ideas about the facts of history and human nature.

The Sovereign Individual and other future histories

The Sovereign Individual describes how the cybereconomy, with its lack of ties to any particular country, will dissolve the bonds of taxation and regulation. It also predicts the collapse or drastic downsizing of the tax-financed welfare states. While it is all too easy to deplore or cheer (according to personal conviction) these predictions, it is interesting to compare some books by different authors with widely different personal preferences, namelyThe Sovereign Individual, by James Dale Davidson and William Rees-MoggThe Future of Capitalism, by Lester ThurowTurbo-Capitalism, by LuttwakOne World, Ready or Not, by William GreiderThe interesting thing is that ALL these authors make mainly identical predictions, although the all cheers from James D. Davidson and the mostly jeers from Greider are obvious. Luttwak and Thurow take more balanced positions, both looking at pros and cons. The unanimity of prediction tells me that the predicions, most starkly spelled out in The Sovereign Individual, are very likely to come true.Nils Andersson

A bold, unemotional thesis - ignore at your peril!

Davidson and Rees-Mogg put forward a dispassionate and compelling argument on the ramifications and logical outworkings of the information age. What sets the book apart from its peers' is the unemotional and, some would say, cold logic the authors use in developing their hypothesis, argument and conclusions. By comparison, most authors attempting to 'predict' the future tend to use an emotional, idealistic approach to the argument proposed - little, or dubious emperical evidence is put forth. As a result the reader will either agree,or disagree, on the basis of their personal belief system. We can assume, in the marjority of cases, that neither party will change his views.This book is therefore fundamentally different, the case provides a wealth of evidence, facts and historical precedent to support the hypothesis. The reader is challenged to seek out for himself the signs that these 'megapolitical' changes are, in fact, occuring. Recent examples include, the 'asian financial meltdown', the 'revenue problems' that taxation departments are experiencing world wide, the rise of xenophobic 'nationalist' parties reacting to globalisation and technology (Australias "One Nation Party"), the 'luddite' irrational argument of the evironmental movement, the list goes one - however, as Davidson and Rees-Mogg clearly state, you must find out for yourself.Even within this review section, several reviewers have argued, bitterly, against this book using emotional and idealistic arguments. I am afraid that 'wishful' thinking will matter not in the least as these megapolitical events unfold.However, this reaction is entirely expected.PS: The "offshore" services and facilities proposed by the authors to protect your assets and avoid predatory taxation are now readily available - use your 'browser'! Sorry 'state worshippers' the 'cats already out of the bag', so to speak.