Seymour Melman
Encyclopedia
Seymour Melman was an American professor emeritus of industrial engineering
and operations research
at Columbia University
's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
.
He wrote extensively for fifty years on "economic conversion", the ordered transition from military to civilian production by military industries and facilities. Author of The Permanent War Economy and Pentagon Capitalism, he was an economist, writer, and gadfly
of the military-industrial complex
.
on December 30, 1917. He studied at the De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx and received his undergraduate degree from the College of the City of New York
in 1939. After graduation he received a travel fellowship and traveled to Palestine
and Europe
between 1939 and 1940.
Upon returning to the United States
he served for two years as the secretary of the Student Zionist Federation. Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor
, he served in the US Army
as a First Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps. Afterwards he served on the National Industrial Conference Board. He became a graduate student at Columbia University
in January, 1945 and received his Ph.D.
in economics
in June, 1949. He joined the Columbia faculty that year and was a popular instructor until he retired from teaching in 2003. According to Alexander Cockburn
, Melman was under surveillance by the FBI for much of his career, because of his work criticising the military-industrial complex
.
Melman was the former President of the Association for Evolutionary Economics, Vice President of the New York Academy of Sciences
, co-chair of SANE
(Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy), chair of The National Commission for Economic Conversion and Disarmament
, and a participant in the Reindustrialization of the United States Project.
In 1976 SANE's New York City conference on "The Arms Race and the Economic Crisis" featured Melman, and won an economic conversion plank in the Democratic party platform.
Melman died in his Manhattan home of an aneurysm
on December 16, 2004.
. Second, he was part of a group of critical scholars at Columbia University including Robert S. Lynd, a leading sociologist in the United States. Third, he was connected to a wide network of national and international scholars and activists concerned with disarmament, economic conversion and economic democracy, e.g. Noam Chomsky
, Marcus Raskin
, Harley Shaiken, John Ullmann, Lloyd J. Dumas, John Kenneth Galbraith
, among many others.
He was also on the advisory board of FFIPP-USA (Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace-USA), a network of Palestinian, Israeli, and International faculty, and students, working in for an end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and just peace. http://www.ffipp.org/about_us
The legacy of Seymour Melman's work continues in a fellowship and research program supported by the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. and through the work of his former colleagues in the Economic Reconstruction network.
"A bomb equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT would cause an intense fire called a 'fire storm' in an area about 2000 square miles (5,180 km²) around the area of the blast. And in such an area it would be futile, desperately futile to construct what are called 'fallout shelters'".
Industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering dealing with the optimization of complex processes or systems. It is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials, analysis...
and operations research
Operations research
Operations research is an interdisciplinary mathematical science that focuses on the effective use of technology by organizations...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science is a school of Columbia University which awards Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, Master of Financial Engineering, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Engineering degrees in engineering, applied physics and applied...
.
He wrote extensively for fifty years on "economic conversion", the ordered transition from military to civilian production by military industries and facilities. Author of The Permanent War Economy and Pentagon Capitalism, he was an economist, writer, and gadfly
Gadfly (social)
A gadfly is a person who upsets the status quo by posing upsetting or novel questions, or just being an irritant. The term has been used to describe many politicians and social commentators....
of the military-industrial complex
Military-industrial complex
Military–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
.
Biography
Seymour Melman was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on December 30, 1917. He studied at the De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx and received his undergraduate degree from the College of the City of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
in 1939. After graduation he received a travel fellowship and traveled to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
between 1939 and 1940.
Upon returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
he served for two years as the secretary of the Student Zionist Federation. Soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, he served in the US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
as a First Lieutenant in the Coast Artillery Corps. Afterwards he served on the National Industrial Conference Board. He became a graduate student at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in January, 1945 and received his Ph.D.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
in June, 1949. He joined the Columbia faculty that year and was a popular instructor until he retired from teaching in 2003. According to Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Cockburn
Alexander Claud Cockburn is an American political journalist. Cockburn was brought up in Ireland but has lived and worked in the United States since 1972. Together with Jeffrey St. Clair, he edits the political newsletter CounterPunch...
, Melman was under surveillance by the FBI for much of his career, because of his work criticising the military-industrial complex
Military-industrial complex
Military–industrial complex , or Military–industrial-congressional complex is a concept commonly used to refer to policy and monetary relationships between legislators, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them...
.
Melman was the former President of the Association for Evolutionary Economics, Vice President of the New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
, co-chair of SANE
Sane
Sane is an English word meaning "of sound mind"; see Sanity.Sane or SANE may also refer to:* Sane Ancient Greek city* An archaeological site and a modern name of Sani, Greece*Sane, Mali...
(Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy), chair of The National Commission for Economic Conversion and Disarmament
National Commission for Economic Conversion and Disarmament
The National Commission for Economic Conversion and Disarmament was founded in 1988, with preliminary work starting as early as November 1987. The key principals behind the commission were Seymour Melman together with Jonathan Feldman and Robert Krinsky...
, and a participant in the Reindustrialization of the United States Project.
In 1976 SANE's New York City conference on "The Arms Race and the Economic Crisis" featured Melman, and won an economic conversion plank in the Democratic party platform.
Melman died in his Manhattan home of an aneurysm
Aneurysm
An aneurysm or aneurism is a localized, blood-filled balloon-like bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Aneurysms can commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain and an aortic aneurysm occurs in the main artery carrying blood from the left ventricle of the heart...
on December 16, 2004.
Work
Melman was part of a circle of critical intellectuals with epicenters in various networks. Three were central. First, Melman was part of the Frame of Reference group led by University of Pennsylvania Professor Zellig HarrisZellig Harris
Zellig Sabbettai Harris was a renowned American linguist, mathematical syntactician, and methodologist of science. Originally a Semiticist, he is best known for his work in structural linguistics and discourse analysis and for the discovery of transformational structure in language...
. Second, he was part of a group of critical scholars at Columbia University including Robert S. Lynd, a leading sociologist in the United States. Third, he was connected to a wide network of national and international scholars and activists concerned with disarmament, economic conversion and economic democracy, e.g. Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, Marcus Raskin
Marcus Raskin
Marcus Raskin is a prominent American social critic, political activist, author, and philosopher, working for progressive social change in the United States....
, Harley Shaiken, John Ullmann, Lloyd J. Dumas, John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth "Ken" Galbraith , OC was a Canadian-American economist. He was a Keynesian and an institutionalist, a leading proponent of 20th-century American liberalism...
, among many others.
He was also on the advisory board of FFIPP-USA (Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace-USA), a network of Palestinian, Israeli, and International faculty, and students, working in for an end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and just peace. http://www.ffipp.org/about_us
The legacy of Seymour Melman's work continues in a fellowship and research program supported by the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. and through the work of his former colleagues in the Economic Reconstruction network.
Quotations
"The joy of accomplishing production. It's a great thing. The work I've been doing now for some time is writing an article, writing a book, or researching something. It's an accomplishment. It's a great thing. No, more exactly, it's living. It's being alive. To be productive is to be alive.""A bomb equivalent to 20 million tons of TNT would cause an intense fire called a 'fire storm' in an area about 2000 square miles (5,180 km²) around the area of the blast. And in such an area it would be futile, desperately futile to construct what are called 'fallout shelters'".
Publications
- 1956. Dynamic factors in industrial productivity. New York, Wiley.
- 1958. Decision Making and Productivity.
- 1958. Inspection for Disarmament. Editor.
- 1961. The Peace Race.
- 1962. No Place to Hide Fallout Shelters-Fact and Fiction. Editor.
- 1962. Disarmament; Its Politics And Economics. Editor.
- 1965. Our Depleted Society
- 1968. In the name of America; the conduct of the war in Vietnam by the armed forces of the United States as shown by published reports, compared with the laws of war binding on the United States Government and on its citizens. With Melvyn Baron and Dodge Ely. New York : Clergy.
- 1970. The defense economy; conversion of industries and occupations to civilian needs. New York: Praeger.
- 1970. Pentagon Capitalism: The Political Economy of War. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- 1971. The war economy of the United States; readings on military industry and economy. New York: St. Martin's Press.
- 1983. Profits without Production.
- 1985. The Permanent War Economy: American Capitalism in Decline NY: Simon & Schuster.
- 1988. The Demilitarized Society: Disarmament & Conversion. Montreal: Harvest House.
- 1992. Rebuilding America: A New Economic Plan for the 1990s. Westfield NJ: Open Media.
- 2001. After Capitalism: From Managerialism to Workplace Democracy. New York : Knopf.
Further reading
- "The Economics of War and Peace (Interview with Seymour Melman.)" Village Voice, April 26, 1983
- Robert F. Barsky, Noam Chomsky: A Life of Dissent, Cambridge, MIT Press, 1997. This book provides some historical background on Zellig Harris, a key mentor to Seymour Melman.
- Seymour Melman, "In the Grip of a Permanent War Economy," Counterpunch, March 15, 2003, http://www.counterpunch.org/melman03152003.html.
- Jonathan M. Feldman, "From Warfare State to "Shadow State": MILITARISM, ECONOMIC DEPLETION, AND RECONSTRUCTION, Social Text, 25:143-168. This article explains part of Melman's trajectory as part of a cycle of Columbia University based intellectuals concerned with militarism and demilitarization.(See: http://socialtext.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/25/2_91/143 and http://www.seymourmelman.com/
External links
- MBEAW Seymour Melman Monterey Bay Educators Against War
- Warning against Menachem Begin, 1948
- Ralph Nader The Pentagon Connection
- Seymour Melman includes numerous articles.
- In the Grip of a Permanent War Economy by Seymour Melman from Bear Left!
- Seymour Melman Papers 1958-1999 at Columbia
- Revival of Manufacturing Sought by Columbia's Industry Expert, Seymour Melman By Suzanne Trimel. Includes Video Interview and photo
- "Ralph Nader on Seymour Melman" by Ralph Nader, 20 December 2004 after Melman's death.
- Website of former colleagues of Seymour Melman
- http://zmagsite.zmag.org/Mar2005/dagostinopr0305.html Article on After Capitalism