I have just checked out a couple of books from the library. These books are by the author Alfie Kohn. They are books that argue against competition and materail rewards for doing good. Has anyone read any of his books? One such book is called No Contest and it argues that all competition is destructive. He seems to argue that conservatives view competition as healthy by nature while traditional liberals see a difference bteween healthy competition and destructive competition. Kohn argues for a radical conclusion; that "healthy competition" is an oxymoron and that all competition is negative and destructive by nature. I am going to read his books and see if he manages to convince me that he has a case against competition. If he does, it will just reaffirm my view that we should replace competition with equitable cooperation.

Matthew

They sound interesting, but I submit that competition is what drives us to excel and to overcome obstacles.

I'll definitely post a book review of the topic. I came across Kohn's book while reading anarchist literature. Kohn is not the first to argue this view. Apparently, this view that all competition is inherently negative and destructive has been a part of libertarian-socialist thought for years. Anarchists see Kohn as vindicating views that they have held to for some time. I personally want to critically analyze Kohn's arguments for myself.

Matthew