The Broken Prism of Economics

Last night I sat in a mammoth church with high ceilings and stained glass walls and I listened to John Ralston Saul declare the end of globalism. It was ironic.

Through the prism of economics. That is the foundation of our dogma, the one that's driven us for the past 35 years. He's right about that. Globalism is not a new idea, transcontinental corporations, taking advantage of cheap resources abroad are not a sudden development over the last 10-15 years. This country was built on the Bay, and that was 300 years ago.

What is new is that everything be viewed through the prism of economics. That all decisions be made through the prism of economics. I remember talking to a friend a few years back, he was an avid and active environmentalist, and he talked about how we had to put environmental impacts into economic terms so we could quantify and prove the losses. Its a very tidy idea, but I thought at the time that while it may be well intentioned, it is also giving in to the premise that economics exists as the root of all decisions, as the root of all life.

The environment should not have to be counted like beans. You can't quantify air, and if you think you can, then its time to take a step back and evaluate what reality you're in.

The end of globalism that Saul is talking about is not the end of free trade. It is not the end of currency markets. It is not about the end of economics. What it is about, is the end of the prism. The end of letting the markets dictate our decisions. The end of the notion that capitalism is an inevitable force beyond the control of any of us. It is the realisation among citizens that economics is an important 'aspect' of life, it is not life itself.

It sounds to me like a hopeful future. One that's much more balanced. I only hope that there isn't too much chaos blocking our way to get there.
- posted by Sigurd6/09/2005 08:19:00 AM