As members of the civic we have much in common. We live in the same time. We live on the same planet. All our grandchildren will inherit the future we leave them. Still, if we switch our view from the civic to the social, we see great differences. Some have much more than they need and others have much less. This contrast between the civic and the social raises issues of fairness or justice. So what should we have in common and when should we allow some to have more than others?
The civic is an answer to a question. What question? Well, a different question than the usual inquiry about what we have. That is a property question. ‘What do we own?” “What is yours?” and “What do you hope to acquire?” The civic question is not about having, but about relating. “How are we related?” and “What does this relationship mean?”
Today the Supreme Court considers the constitutionality of requiring people to participate in a national health care insurance program. Do you think they will see health care insurance as a commodity or as a shared commons? Their perception on this issue may well determine their ruling.
Mary McBride, Director of the Design Management Program at Pratt Institute, has invited us to join in a conversation about how to design a future economy that works for all. Economics, it turns out, is not about numbers, its about design. See: CATALYST Strategic Design Review: Civilizing the Economy
by Alice Walker. See her blog.
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