Civilizing the Economy A New Economics of Provision

Where did we get lost?

Posted Jan 8, 2013 by Marvin Brown in Uncategorized, 2 Comments

It’s hard to know.  It was so long ago.  We began as hunters/gathers.  At that time, we lived with nature.  Hunters followed the herds and killed what they needed for food.  We did not control the herds.  The movement of the herds controlled us.  In good years, we lived together.

And we gathered nuts, fruit, and grains from the earth’s bounty.  We adapted to what was available.   In good years, we lived together.  Just as we celebrated the cunning and wisdom of animals, we also celebrated the earth’s fertility.

Then some of us became shepherds.  Instead of a hunter’s life of living with the herds, we created our herds—domesticated animals—and made them live for us.  We began our domination of nature.

And some of us became farmers.  Instead of gathering what nature had provided, we took nature’s seeds and planted them to serve us.  We dominated nature.

And so it goes.  Adam Smith made it clear to everyone.  In his Wealth of Nations, he describes the four stages of “man.”  We were first hunters, then shepherds, after shepherds, came farmers, and we ended up as a commercial nation, as traders.  What he forgot to mention, of course, is that the prosperity of the traders depended on the domination of millions of Africans, of millions of Americans, and of the earth.  That’s where we are.

How do we find ourselves?  We cannot return to hunting and gathering, although we certainly need to listen to those who continue these traditions in Africa, Asia, and elsewhere.  We do need to adapt our life to the planet’s life.  We must live with the planet, much like we used to, when, in the good years, we lived together.

Glasgow: A Merchant’s City, The Labor of Slaves

Posted Jun 21, 2011 by Marvin Brown in Uncategorized, 1 Comment

The last city on my recent trip to Ireland and Scotland was Glasgow; a city whose early wealth depended on the labor of African slaves in the British colonies. If there were one city in Europe that should be obligated to pay reparations for African slavery, it would be Glasgow.

Shareable Magazine Interview on Economics of Provision

Posted Mar 7, 2011 by Marvin Brown in Uncategorized, No Comments

Shareable Magazine interview

We need a new story

Posted Feb 20, 2011 by Marvin Brown in Uncategorized, No Comments

It may seem that the uprising of peoples in the Middle East and Northern Africa represents a desire of millions to have what we in the United States already have.  To assume so would be a giant mistake.  

A Business Ethics Divide

Posted Jan 15, 2011 by Marvin Brown in Uncategorized, 1 Comment

One can slice business ethics into various types, but one of the most significant differences in the field is the starting point.  Some want to start in the midst of current business conversations, and then try to move students or mangers toward a more “ethical” view of their work.  Others want to start with a vision of where business students and managers should be and then try to move them in that direction.

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