The Survival of the Richest

The Survival of the Richest: An Analysis of the Relationship between the Sciences of Biology, Economics, Finance, and Survivalism is Dr. Anthony M. Criniti IV’s remarkable follow-up to his acclaimed book, The Necessity of Finance. Exploring in greater depth how the sciences of economics and finance are necessary for their respective entities to survive, this book integrates some of the hardest concepts of several very important fields of scientific inquiry.

Deriving serious conclusions on the future of humanity, this provocative work is divided into five parts that discuss the science of survival, survivalism’s connection to economics and finance, the relationship of biology and various reformed natural selection processes to wealth, and the role of humans as the ultimate universal manager.

Dr. Criniti provides a comprehensive overview of survival; clarifies the proper order of prosperity; shows that being wealthier increases your probability of continuously surviving and prospering by providing you the greatest options to obtaining survival essentials; indicates that wealthier entities have the option to help other economic or financial entities (including nonhuman ones) survive and prosper, particularly through the concepts of the survival and the prosperity by a third party; demonstrates the inevitable relationship between biology, economics, finance, and survivalism; demonstrates that both individuals and populations of species evolve; summarizes, reforms, and adds to existing evolutionary selection processes; confirms that the management of money, and the technology that it can buy, is an advanced, necessary stage in the process of evolution—that is, the evolution of evolution; demonstrates that the survival of the richest is a more accurate concept than the survival of the fittest; and shows that all humanity should have the united goal of maximizing our wealth for our survival on this planet and beyond. 

This seminal work delivers a powerful analysis of the current human predicament as well as a call to people around the world, urging them to begin making better decisions. In the vein of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species and Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel, this book is designed for the well-educated—though it is equally valuable for the layperson interested in helping to protect the planet. 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. 

From the Preface of The Survival of the Richest (2016) by Dr. Anthony M. Criniti IV:

This book was written as an advanced follow-up on a specific aspect of my first book, The Necessity of Finance, which taught that learning the science of economics is necessary for economic entities (that is, nations and their divisions) to survive, and it taught that learning the science of finance is necessary for financial entities (that is, individuals, groups, and organizations) to survive. Survival’s role was clearly mentioned there, but it was not fully analyzed because of the wider goals of that book. In this book, we will further explore the relationship between survival and these two fields.

The analysis made of the concept of survival is also unavoidably linked with several other fields of scientific inquiry. Thus, my journey to write this book brought me to research a diverse range of topics, including wilderness survival, advanced martial arts, biology, and the darkest aspects of human atrocities. I continuously pushed the limits of my research to ensure that I treated this subject with the respect that it deserves. The end result took a huge toll on my health: from sleepless nights to hair loss. This is why I caution anyone who reads this to be prepared to deal with possible emotional issues. If you do not have the stomach to read about the horrors of survival or the truth about the current human predicament, then I suggest that you do not read this book. The conclusions are not easy to accept, and acceptance may only come after breaking down the inner walls of safety that our minds put up to protect us. Yet these conclusions are inevitable and severe, and they must be faced with courage by all who are ready to deal with them.

The biological aspects of the book are actually a continuum of a subject deeply rooted in the birth of Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection in the nineteenth century. The title of this book is also a variant on the phrase “the survival of the fittest,” which was created by Herbert Spencer, a key biologist of Darwin’s time. This phrase, which described Darwin’s theory and the concept it represents, has been misinterpreted since its creation. Its faulty misinterpretations became an underlying theme in many of the atrocities committed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Wealth provided the support for negative variations of Darwin’s theories, for example, social Darwinism and eugenics. Wealth also played a large role in various genocides and wars, including the deadliest wars in history, World Wars I and II. It may be because of this dark past between the concepts of evolution and wealth that the relationship has not been comprehensively analyzed until now.

To avoid having the title of this book meet the same fate of misinterpretation as Spencer’s phrase, I would also like to be clear that the title of this book does not imply that the richest entities, whether people or nations, will survive just because they are rich. On the contrary, the richest people can also be the first to die under the right circumstances. However, as will be demonstrated, a major point this title implies is that more wealth provides more options for the wealthiest entities to survive better; it does not necessarily mean that those entities will choose the best options. Further, living economic and financial entities have three major wealth-management possibilities: 1) to minimize wealth and survive poorly, which comes with an increased risk of death; 2) to break even and merely survive day by day—a risky survival position; or 3) to maximize wealth and survive and prosper (this must be a continuous goal).

This book is divided into five parts. In part 1, we will explore the science of survival, which will be referred to as “survivalism.” In this part, many aspects of survival are analyzed, and it includes a review of survival literature, survival definitions, survival examples, survival scenarios, and so forth. To my knowledge, this is the most comprehensive overview of survival that exists. 

In part 2, economics and finance are woven into the analysis of survival. In this part, I trace the roots of prosperity, especially those of economics and finance, all the way back to survivalism. This part also explores the role of the struggle, the survival of the richest as applied to various entities, surviving an economic and/or financial collapse, and the important concepts of the survival and the prosperity by a third party. 

In part 3, biology becomes a part of the analysis. Here, I present an overview of the concept of the survival of the fittest; give nature and evolution a more realistic definition; explain how evolution occurs in both an individual and a population; and subsequently, provide an upgraded version of the theory of natural selection (and other related evolutionary selection processes). I also introduce the important concepts of descendant selection, the evolution of evolution, reformed nature, self-selection, and other related concepts.   

In part 4, I demonstrate how humans are capable of the best and worst imaginable outcomes; responsible for the birth of the sixth mass extinction; probably the solution to this extinction; potentially the ultimate universal survivors; and possibly the ultimate universal managers. Finally, I present a final summary of and the conclusions for the entire book in part 5.

This book is targeted mainly at a specific adult audience, particularly intermediate- to advanced-level biology, economics, finance, and survival students. Nevertheless, I also welcome the interested layperson to read this book and to reflect on its important conclusions. It is highly recommended that all readers read my earlier books, The Necessity of Finance and The Most Important Lessons in Economics and Finance, before proceeding to this book, as they will provide a better introduction to the various concepts covered in this work. This book builds on those books, so readers may be at a disadvantage, perhaps to the extent of not understanding key points, if they do not read those books first. 

In part 3, I present my interpretations of some of the most important evolutionary selection processes in biology and derive other processes tied to wealth. Thus, you may want to read several beginner biology books before you read this book, particularly in regard to natural selection. This is instrumental to understanding the biological aspects analyzed here and the role wealth plays in the evolutionary process. 

This book is designed to be student friendly, and it can be used as a required or supplemental text for colleges or universities. Finally, this book may also serve as a direct learning tool to help you create your own path to economic and financial independence. If you understand the relationship between survival and prosperity, then you may be more inclined to make better financial decisions.

This book integrates some of the hardest concepts of several of the most important sciences. It covers many topics in order to come to serious conclusions about the future of humanity. Certain aspects of this book could be viewed as a roadmap for where our species should be heading, particularly in reference to the Major Scientific Phases of Prosperity. We are more prepared to understand our role on this planet and possibly the universe when we thoroughly analyze what our species is capable of and what is truly at stake. 

Economics and finance can be better understood from the perspective presented in this book. However, I want to be clear that this may not be easy for the average student. Some of the material may interest you, and some may not. The best way to approach it is with patience. I encourage you to take notes throughout your readings. Later, you can always review the book, in part or in whole, for maximum results. 

I highly recommend reading this book slowly. If you move too fast, then you may not have time to reflect deeply enough on the underlying lessons, and/or you may become overwhelmed with information. In particular, I recommend that you read this book one chapter at a time and more than once to increase your understanding of the subjects presented.

Finally, I have attempted to write this book as objectively as possible, but from time to time, my opinions may appear. However, this should have a very limited effect on achieving the various major goals of the book, which are the following:

1. To provide the most comprehensive overview of the science of survival; 

2. To reinforce the point from The Necessity of Finance that the goals of economics and finance are interrelated with the survival goals of economic and financial entities; 

3. To clarify the proper order of prosperity, particularly that finance is the precursor to economics; 

4. To show that being wealthier increases your probability of continuously surviving and prospering by providing you the greatest options to obtaining survival essentials; 

5. To indicate that wealthier entities have the option to help other economic or financial entities (including nonhuman ones) survive and prosper, particularly through the concepts of the survival and the prosperity by a third party; 

6. To demonstrate the inevitable relationship between biology, economics, finance, and survivalism; 

7. To improve our understanding of nature and evolution; 

8. To demonstrate that both individuals and populations of species evolve; 

9. To summarize, reform, and add to existing evolutionary selection processes; 

10. To confirm that the management of money, and the technology that it can buy, is an advanced, necessary stage in the process of evolution—that is, the evolution of evolution; 

11. To illustrate the severity of and the potential solutions for the current human predicament; 

12. To demonstrate that the survival of the richest is a more accurate concept than the survival of the fittest; and

13. To prove that all humanity should have the united goal of maximizing our wealth for our survival on this planet and beyond. 

With so many goals for one book, we shouldn’t waste any time. So please fasten your seatbelts, and enjoy the ride!