One of the key themes of Civilizing the Economy, and my work since its publication, has been that of clarifying the relationship between the commercial and the civic, Today, the Supreme Court’s ruling on universal health care made an important contribution.
The subject of money has been a hot topic in the past decade. One important controversy evolves around whether money is a commodity or a commons. As a commodity, money is a property that people can buy and sell, give away, or stick under a mattress. As a commons, money is available to all, owned by none, and protected by civic authorities. Money can be used as a commodity and a commons, but it does make a difference which one we see as more fundamental.
It’s becoming more and more clear that the current economic design does not have a future; at least not a viable future. If you have not yet come to this conclusion, you probably have not been paying attention. The good news is that a multitude of groups are creatively developing alternative economies. One way to further this work is to clarify the basic principles that we should use in these endeavors. I propose the following for your reflections:
Marvin T. Brown, Ph.D teaches business and organizational ethics at the University of San Francisco and Saybrook University in San Francisco.
This book is the culmination of 30 years of teaching and writing on business and society from a communicative perspective. Visit workingethics.com for more information.
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