Subject: Climate change - Prosperity without Growth?

Posted by Niall Palfreyman on 12/10/2009
In Reply To:Climate change - Prosperity without Growth? Posted by Karl North on 12/9/2009

Message:

Karl North schrieb:
> It is axiomatic to the ST/SD methodological paradigm that STRUCTURE
> GENERATES BEHAVIOR ...
> But there is another systems paradigm axiom at stake here: ...
> one must continually CHALLENGE THE BOUNDARIES.
> Population activists ... have been
> enumerating conditions [for reducing population growth] years:
> 1. Equal education of women
> 2. Equal economic empowerment of women 3. Family economic security
> (not necessarily affluence, mind you) 4. Equalization of wealth and
> status across society
>
> What is the socio-economic-cultural
> structure that will achieve these goals? [T]he answer to that [... is
> that we] must question the structure of the political economy itself.
Wow. That was a post and a half, Karl. I take off my hat to you.

I must confess that I flounder in a thread like this, where everyone is
talking about economy, industry and growth. I don't really know what is
meant by the phrase "political economy", and have never understood
economic or financial discussions in any form. In fact my lack of
understanding of such conversations is aided and abetted by my awareness
in my own life that financial wealth plays very much a background
(although clearly not unimportant) role. Of course, I'd complain like
the next person if I had to live below subsistence level, but I'm also
aware that what is important to me is, as Karl says, economic security
rather than affluence. Once the security is assured, my needs centre
around my freedom to express myself and enjoying the love of friends.

I'm left thinking: Wouldn't it be nice if we could build a political
economy based on simply enjoying being with each other? By this I don't
mean love as a goal achieved by political means, but rather love as a
means in itself. Each year I see new students come to us with various
habits of aloofness, annoyance or unhappiness, but I have yet to see the
student who retains these habits once they get the message that they are
welcome in the class community.

So I guess I'm saying: Is community-building perhaps the answer?
Grassroots _and_ international.

Best wishes,
Niall.