Democracy is, by nature, a work in progress, and Western history has had very few occurrences when the “demos” became a politically self-conscious actor. What do these moments teach us?
Nurture Human Nature
Classical economists have relied on the model of physics to reach predictability, which led them to depict a “rational economic man.” Contemporary studies reveal a very different picture of our economic behavior.
Finish What You Started
As important as non-violent discipline, unity, and planning are, knowing when to finish what you started is key to a movement’s success. Then the patient, unglamorous work of building lasting foundations for justice can begin.
Introduction
“[GDP] measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans.” (Robert Kennedy)
From a Mechanistic to a Holistic Worldview
“We are in trouble because modern economic theory and the practice of finance especially . . . remain dangerously grounded in an outdated mechanistic worldview that fails to reflect the reality of the more accurate living-systems worldview.” (John Fullerton)