Oikos in Greek means household or home.
Nomos in Greek means the law, especially
governing human behavior.
Another way of interpreting the meaning of
economics is the human behavior governing the home or household.
In modern terms economics has become defined
in neoliberal terms as the body of knowledge that understands the way the
production and consumption of goods are distributed by people.
As a child I played the board game 'monopoly'. The endgame
is the accumulation of wealth until one player dominates the game. The winner
takes it all.
Capitalism as modern neoliberalism is also
known is possibly reaching its endgame. It is also reaching ecological and social limits.
All of which spell social and ecological
harm and collapse. The winner maybe taking it all too the bank, but the social
and ecological losers are being mortally harmed.
This means homelessness, poverty,
joblessness, illness, water issues, climate change, biodiversity loss, air
pollution. In short a sick society and a sick planet.
Those wishing to find an alternative economics to capitalism and the neoliberal political agenda are exploring movements within new
economics, that is, something wonderful in my backyard SWIMBY. Or as Charles
Eisenstein puts it ‘the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible’.
There are many groups, movements and activities within new economics. These include; the commons,
cooperatives, social enterprise, community interest companies, sacred
economics, the gift economy and many more …
My inquiry is how can the other than human
be listened to and included in new economics? Where is the heart space in new
economics? What impact can mindfulness and contemplation play in new
economics? What are the stories emerging that tell the tale of new economics as
it happens? In economics how can we value the qualities of life as well as the quantities?
In other words how can I reclaim economics and make it relevant and inclusive to the time I am living in?
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