Is it possible? A Peaceable Economy by Edward Dommen

From the World Council of Churches:

A Peaceable Economy

A

Edward Dommen

Visions & Voices series

Specs: 172 pp.; 5 x 7”; paper; perfect; 4-colour cover
Topic/Shelving: Religion / Economics
ISBN: 978-2-8254-1639-6
Price: CHF 7.00; £5.00; €5.00; $7.00; Spring 2014

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Rethinking the foundational elements in economics-

Edward Dommen has taken up the challenge and breaks fresh ground. His shrewd critique of conventional economics is supported by a penetrating use of biblical and Reformation teachings, and he convincingly shows that another world can be made - is - possible." --Gilbert Rist, author of The Delusions of Economics

The same dynamic drives all kinds of economy and wars: it is cumulative causation, along the lines of "Those who have will receive more and they will have more than enough; but as for those who don't have, even the little they have will be taken away from them." Violence is rooted in the workings of both economies and war. The purpose of war is to compel others to do our will, and it is the outcome of many kinds of economic activity. War and economies are intimately related. The key to an alternative vision is the injunction, "Love your neighbour as yourself.. However, while sermons are easy, there is no conclusive evidence that humanity has made moral progress over time. The struggle for a peaceable economy must be ceaseless, repeated again and again to counterbalance the inertia of cumulative causation. As William the Silent said, "One need not hope in order to undertake, nor succeed in order to persevere."

Edward Dommen is a specialist in economic ethics, a longtime economist for the UN Conference on Trade and Development, and a Quaker. He lives in Geneva.

Click here to download the table of contents, introduction and chapter 1 (pdf)