Johnson’s Power of Systems vs.Stiglitz Power of Free-Market Economy

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course
Date
How Johnson’s Power of Systems to “Self-Organize” Contradicts Stiglitz’s Power of the Free-Market Economy
“The Myth of the Ant Queen” by Steven Johnson breaks down the complexity of systems to a decentered way that is more consistent with how things work naturally. The reading starts by Johnson meeting Deborah Gordon in her Stanford Gilbert Biological Science office in Palo Alto. Gordon has been studying the behavioral ecology of ant colonies for three-quarters of the year. Johnson’s primary interest was to learn the collective intelligence of an ant colony, which leads to the concept of self-organization. On the contrary, Joseph Stiglitz’s “Rent Seeking and the Making of an Unequal Society” portrays some factors that contribute to the rising American inequality. The author makes it clear that the growing inequality in America is not only caused by the failure of the market forces or the law of supply and demand. Other things, such as politics, government policies, and social aspects, play a significant role as well. In reality, the American economy is controlled by rent-seekers or wealthy people who dictate ordinary citizens and significantly influence government policies in their favor. Johnson’s explanation of the power of systems to “self-organize” contradicts Stiglitz’s conclusion about the power of the free-market economy.
Johnson depicts that natural forces significantly shape some complex systems that appear to be orderly. When Gordon ushered Johnson across the hallway headed to a place with three long tables, she wanted him to observe the behavior and organization of ant colonies. When Johnson first saw a cluster of ants moving steadily, he asserts that “The tubing and cramped conditions and surging crowds bring one thought immediately to mind: New York subway system, rush hour” (Johnson 30). As Gordon explains, ant colonies are the perfect examples of self-organizing systems. She also says that many people perceive the queen as the authority figure, which is not the case. The queen’s primary objective is to lay eggs and be served by workers. However, Gordon makes it clear that “She does not decide which worker does what” (Johnson 31). At this juncture, the bottom-up organization comes into light. The most significant point is that ants respect and serve their queen willingly to protect their lineage since she is the one who gives rise to upcoming generations. The bottom-up organization involves self-driven servants or people at lower levels who serve those at the top without being forced. Based on this concept, individuals at the top of the social hierarchy or higher job ranks should not dictate or command others to execute various responsibilities.
As Johnson elaborates on the bottom-up and self-organizing system, Stiglitz portrays how people at the bottom of the social hierarchy are affected by the decisions made by those at the top and the implementation of the ineffective government policies. Although a free market operates based on the law of supply and demand, wealthy people or owners of the means of production significantly influence go...