Category: Economy & Values

Looking at society and the meaning behind it, we can of course focus on the economic: on growth, profit, and all that goes along with that. It’s a fairly well-established method of assessing things, essentially prioritising what we’re doing to meet demand. But there’s also the human side, the lives we’ve made for ourselves and what it all means in practice. How compatible are these perspectives?

And, writing that, I wonder how meaningful the question is – whether there’s any point looking at life that way. But then if economic activity exists to meet our needs, surely there’s some justification in asking what these realities mean for us as humans within that society?

Our systems seem to have evolved, rightly or wrongly, out of paths taken in the past; developing into this quite remote and transactional series of markets, forces, demands, and solutions. Ways our lives fit into those systems and how we might feel about our roles in them is a broader question still, as is how all this sits within the world as a whole (see Notes One).

The bigger picture, I suppose, is one of humans living on earth and cooperating to meet their essential needs. What we know as the economy then being how we’ve come to organise those activities to generate and distribute resources, either as goods or the capacity to buy them. Simplistically put, that seems the basic formula.

Notions of what’s a genuine ‘need’ and the extent ‘manufactured needs’ may indeed fuel the economy and generate greater wealth are separate concerns. I mean, we do have needs – individually and collectively – as well as possibly limitless desires and wants; but the level to which that’s encouraged by marketing seems questionable (Note Two)

Society itself can also be seen as having needs, such as the rational, balanced, informed, and willing participation of its citizens (Note Three). Then there’s the need for an all-encompassing sense of meaning: ideas around what we’re doing, what it contributes, how worthwhile it is, and that we’re valued for the parts we play within our community.

To my mind, much of that tumbles into the realm of culture as the place we create meaning and belonging through the stories we tell and the practices we observe. But then, even there, money’s come to play an important part in defining and shaping our importance in the eyes of society (Notes Four).

Money’s apparently spilled out of purely concerning itself with resources, now seeking to guide our ideas and our ability to grasp what’s going on. Surely it’s important, given how our personal worth, independent agency, and wider understanding enable us to choose what we commit ourselves to, as consumers or as citizens.

Why that is, why everything’s now a marketplace, is one of the stranger things about modern life: that our social world of meaning and self-esteem would be pulled into this other world of goods and services. Because, when it comes down to it, surely the economy was there to support us.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Life and money, seamlessly interwoven
Note 1: Created a system we seek to escape?
Note 1: Selective intelligence in what we do
Note 2: “Small is Beautiful”
Note 3: Media within democratic society
Note 4: Culture selling us meaning
Note 4: Why listen to media that exists to profit?
Note 4: Economics and the task of education
Note 4: The worth of each life

The idea of luxury seems to be something we’ve really bought into: that the arc of civilisation is this pursuit of liberation from nature and limitation, as we rise above that to prosperity, freedom and indulgence. As if material gain is the height of progress, the state to which we should all aspire. It seems that’s the model, as we do what we do (see Notes One).

But is this intention in itself questionable? Where did the idea come from that excess, novelty and consumerism are the way to be? It seems both an interesting and important question, given how greatly that assumption is shaping the world around us.

It’s a way of thinking that’s informing our relationship toward nature and one another (Notes Two), careless as we might be with the social and environmental networks that sustain us (Notes Three). This idea that what we’re pursuing is justifiable is surely defining all these actions we’re taking, needs we’re encouraging, and consequences we’re deeming acceptable along that path.

Yet what foundations are we building on? What are these ideas, and are we sure they’re solid, reliable, right? Are they wise and coherent as a whole? Will they succeed and, if so, at what cost?

Because, when we look at modern life, there are clearly costs. There were costs in the past, in terms of the other ways of life that got trampled over to make space for this one. There are costs now, as consumer goods are produced using finite resources and cheap labour for the enjoyment of a fairly small proportion of people.

Then there are the justifications. Some people clearly inherited advantages set up in the past; now holding the power to maintain or improve our systems, to instil them with human values or continue placing gain above all else. If it’s arguable we’re all the same, then justifying these things becomes tricky.

And, of course, all of that’s complicated. It’s the history of ideas, peoples, possibilities and outcomes. It’s legacies: new people, one thing being built upon another until it’s a little hazy who’s responsible (Notes Four). It’s a complex system we all kind of have a stake in, and unpicking it may be almost as risky as ploughing on.

All of which is hard to face up to. It’s a system that seems to feed off our desire for material and social security, tapping into the human psyche to make money then investing that in ever more ingenious ways of achieving the same. After all, do we need luxury? Is it even meaningful if everyone were to have it, or does it only work as a means of differentiation? If that’s so, is there any end in sight to this way of operating?

Sometimes my writing veers off into territories I’d not entirely foreseen; and this is one of those times. But maybe it’s valid, because looking to the grounds – the ideals, moral justifications, and practical foundations – of our way of life must be worth it.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Culture and the passing of time
Note 1: Does it all balance out?
Note 2: At what cost, for humans & for nature
Note 2: Waste and consumer choices
Note 3: Living the dream
Note 3: Money as a pivot of matter & intention
Note 3: Selective intelligence in what we do
Note 4: History as a process of changes
Note 4: Ways of living & those who suffer

Turning to literature, Writings on Education, “Small is Beautiful” & “Education’s End” all explored the importance of the ideas on which we stand.

When it comes to how we live, how much thought are we really putting into it? It seems we pour quite a lot into the specifics of the things we’re doing, but maybe not so much into the bigger picture of what it means, how it all fits together, and where it might be leading.

I mean, if we were presented with this way of living and had all its realities, reasoning, and justifications laid out before us, would we choose it? Of course, that’s not how society works; we slip into it, accept how things are, and sooner or later it becomes something we cannot question. But originally it was a set of ideas, a project, a theory (see Notes One).

Yet we can think things through; we can see if some of it doesn’t completely make sense or could be problematic (Notes Two). Such thoughts may often get pushed aside or dismissed out of powerless resignation but that doesn’t stop them being relevant, true or important.

We live in a world where nothing’s made to last because, as a business model, that makes better sense; even if that leads us into an apparently endless cycle of consumerism, waste, and the demand for more resources. So we all live with manufactured desires for more in order to feel better and fit into society; or we might carve an identity by resisting that; either way, it’s the same system.

So much of what we’re doing is really quite strange: news cycles of novelty, escapism, fear or despair; industries built around excessive and needless consumption; an odd infantilisation of adult life, social media and culture. Yet this is also being held up as some kind of pinnacle, an idea to be sold onto others and exported on a global scale.

And that’s not to say that there’s not a great deal to be valued, prized and appreciated in the achievements of Western society; because, within that original set of ideas, there are many highly important ideals around freedom, responsibility, social equality, and the pursuit of progress. My point is more that we seem to have become side-tracked by a lot of clearly lucrative but ultimately senseless things.

We’re undeniably intelligent beings, capable of developing systems and finding new ways of understanding; and that power of reasoning led to many of those wonderful ideals underpinning modern society. Yet, at some point, the importance of reason seems to have been conveniently downplayed as we’re encouraged to behave based on another logic and forget that bigger picture.

How do we reconcile simultaneously living in a society based on reason and causality, yet ignoring some fairly obvious inconsistencies? Might that risk undermining our intelligent engagement as citizens in those systems of information, democracy and regulation we all rely upon (Notes Three)?

Maybe it’s not a problem and we can trust others are being responsible in this; but it’s surely also reasonable to ask why things are the way they are and if it might matter.

Notes and References:

Note 1: People, rules & social cohesion
Note 1: Writings on Education
Note 2: Does it all balance out?
Note 2: At what cost, for humans & for nature
Note 3: “Brave New World Revisited”
Note 3: “Manufacturing Consent”
Note 3: Laws and lawlessness

Ideas of the bigger picture get explored further in Intrinsic values on the paths for change? and How do we find a collective vision?

Writing recently about the bigger picture of how we do things, I was trying to get a sense for the value of what tends to get side-lined as a result of looking mainly to our financial concerns (see Note One). If we were to see modern society as a balance sheet, what are those hidden costs we’re rarely taking into account that might be storing up fairly considerable problems down the line?

Clearly there are environmental costs there, as it’s been quite well documented and reasoned that our ways of living don’t really pay much regard to the natural world in terms of resources or wastefulness (Notes Two).

It’s strange in many ways, how we seem to chipping away at the land beneath our feet. Maybe telling ourselves it’s not our problem; we’ll cross those bridges when we come to them; that it’s very remote and we’re technically doing nothing wrong so we’re not liable. As if we’re counting on future humanity to design a solution for what we’ve created; a sort of ingenuity debt we’re saddling onto our future.

Maybe that comes down to burden of proof: that it’s hard to definitively make a case that what we’re doing isn’t okay, that any one idea or action can be held responsible. Even if common sense might see it’s out of balance and seems unlikely to be the wisest path.

And then, looking to the human side, all that seems to become even murkier: how can we assess the social or personal cost of the ideas at play in how we’re living? What does is mean in a human sense if we view life as a marketplace, a competition, a fight for survival? If we look on others as rivals, objects of comparison, people we have every right to casually judge (Notes Three)?

We might be encouraged into all these ways of behaving and consuming that feed off our social inclinations to belong, be seen as unique, or feel worthwhile; but what does all that bring into our relationships as a society? Surely we’re allowing, even reinforcing, these cultural ideas that basically say we’re never enough, need more, and must set ourselves apart from others.

The human psyche may well be an almost bottomless source of needs, desires, insecurities, and whatever else marketing is designed to appeal to; but does that mean it should be drawn into the marketplace of modern economics? Does that serve us well as a society or as individuals?

It’s something that concerns me greatly, as these other areas of life seem to be struggling to find a voice capable of challenging the economic realities currently holding such sway within modern society. Because while what we’re doing to the natural world and to other people (both within our own societies and those hidden within our economic systems) may appear invisible, it’s still a reality.

These things may happen out of sight, seemingly always the responsibility of others, but ultimately they’re all part of the same system.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Does it all balance out?
Note 2: Waste and consumer choices
Note 2: Is sustainable design an impossibility?
Note 2: “Small is Beautiful”
Note 2: Living the dream
Note 3: Culture selling us meaning
Note 3: People, rules & social cohesion
Note 3: Morality and modern thought
Note 3: “The Spirit of Community”

When it comes to how we live, everything we do bears consequences: whatever we take has to come from somewhere, anything we make has to find somewhere to be, and all of these accumulated actions must inevitably add up. What is that bigger picture? And how well do our values, priorities and intentions find a place within it all?

Economics is clearly highly complex and interconnected, as ideas and strategies alter the course of what we engage in and how it all works out in practice. Basically though, it’s how we interact with the world around us to get what we need (see Note One).

As humans, we essentially draw upon our environment to meet our requirements for food, shelter, culture, security, and so on. As time’s gone by those activities have developed into the forms we see today: often, slightly more abstract ways of working and slightly more impulsive ways of spending what we can earn.

It’s interesting, all the things we do. Sometimes I wonder at what someone living a hundred years ago would make of it all. Because surely everything creates a reality, having an impact on others and on the systems we’re all part of. Waste, overconsumption, and the acceptance of novelty all seem signs of a civilisation somewhat detached from real world consequences (Notes Two).

And I’m not entirely sure where this ideal of consumption and wealth came from; that we should let money work for us and spend on things no one truly needs. Life apparently went from a struggle for survival and a pursuit of excellence to a rather indulgent sense of window dressing.

That’s a bit bleak, but my point is that modern life often leaves me more than a little mystified: rather than being about responsibility, balance, ideals and self-restraint, it has gradually become about these other things which often fly in the face of all that. Did the realities of life change, or did we buy into this idea of deserving it and that, in the end, everyone else will be raised to the same level?

I suppose it’s this basic premise of prosperity being something to work towards, and how our economic systems have sought to build that. Systems then having a logic of their own: a desire for stability, for growth, for constant resources and markets. A way of thinking that’s apparently made its way into many areas of life, shaping how we now see things (Notes Three).

It seems we’re also beginning to see some  consequences of that in terms of waste, resources, social problems, and unrest. And, alongside this, a growing awareness that while we may pay attention to revenue, cost and profit, we could also see things for their personal, social and environmental value.

The give and take of life, interpreted in a certain way, has brought us to this point; but it may also be time to draw a line under one-sided ways of thinking and begin working more harmoniously within that bigger picture.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Money as a pivot of matter & intention
Note 2: What are the true costs?
Note 2: Waste and consumer choices
Note 2: Is sustainable design an impossibility?
Note 3: Why listen to media that exists to profit?
Note 3: Fashion, self & environment
Note 3: Culture selling us meaning

Touching into literature, “Small is Beautiful” discusses many issues underpinning and directing our economic systems.

The value of things comes up all the time, as we estimate the financial impact of different courses of action; but it often seems that long-term, environmental, social, or human implications are left out of these equations.

A recent Guardian article on the price of urban trees is an example: we calculate risks and costs in determining a plan for managing these things, but articulating their value in terms of ecosystem, historical legacy, and mental wellbeing is so much harder to quantify (see Notes One).

Figures are somehow more solid and foreseeable than other concerns and consequences, but letting them govern matters is questionable and risks a one-sided understanding of life, what makes it worth living, and the impacts our choices have. I mean, everything creates a reality: how we act towards others; how we consume in terms of diet, lifestyle or culture; and the industries we support. All these things have a cost and value, and not just financially.

So, taking society to be ‘the way we do things’, our actions sustain or re-create these systems; feeding into a bigger picture of our values, priorities, and ideas about life (Notes Two). Everything can be seen to have human, social, natural, and systemic implications or costs. This picture can be viewed from an economic perspective, but that’s far from all it is.

With regard to the consumption of products, our choices feed industries, practices, standards, and cultural norms; having a social consequence in the example we offer to others as much as for those employed across the globe. Both within our own environment and in remote centres of production, our lifestyle choices are significant statements.

Then looking at regulation, the observance or disregard for legal or other conventions serves to either sustain or weaken our communities (Notes Three). It might seem without consequence if we ignore some rules, thinking no one cares enough to stop us and if they do we can just ignore or intimidate them; but these things surely strain the fabric of society.

And in cultural life, the attitudes and standards we adopt around what makes a person worthy of respect, admiration or courtesy shape the social world we inhabit. Glances, words and gestures directed towards others signal how we perceive their value; much as that might be informed by commercial or status-driven concerns.

Clearly modern life brings with it an inundation of images and information, testing our capacity to discern what matters. And as social creatures we tend to go along with things, not wanting to miss out or appear old-fashioned. But in all this it seems the social and environmental costs might be pretty considerable, as the underlying ideas filter into how we relate to one other and the world around us.

It might seem harmless, an extension of ‘how things have always been’, or part of systems we have little control over; but looking only at money may mean overlooking much that’s essential to holding together systems, relationships and environments we genuinely rely upon.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Values and the economic
Note 1: Nature tells a story, about society
Note 2: Created a system we seek to escape?
Note 2: Complicity and cultural attitudes
Note 2: Individual responsibility, collective standards
Note 3: Laws and lawlessness
Note 3: Antisocial behaviour & the young

Then there’s “Small is Beautiful” which also touches upon issues of environment, values and consequences.

Life could be this growing into a system where we all played a valuable part and our interactions were full of meaning and purpose. Society could be a building up, a collaboration, a development of worthwhile ideas and solutions. Yet it seems we generally seek to be free of it. Why is that?

Why does it have to be this uphill struggle? Why has ‘making ends meet’ become this strange means to an end where we toil away in search of freedom from it all, often resenting one another and much of what we do.

It just seems we seek escape: consumption, indulgence, addictions of varying intensities, ways to pass time or feel better. Large chunks of modern culture seem to be these somewhat destructive or careless pursuits of obliteration, criticism, and fleeting sensations of happiness; else a building up of identity, ways we set ourselves apart (see Notes One).

At times we might distance ourselves from things, using despair or humour as our vehicles: laughing at or blaming others or ourselves for the situations playing out. But does any of this get us anywhere; does it help shift matters or create paths beyond our current limitations?

Systems are what they are: ideas, ways of organising the necessities and opportunities of life. We all exist at some point within that, taking what we can and often maintaining the structures that afford us what we possess. Many now seem to be saying – in different ways – that our systems aren’t working; but finding a new way clearly isn’t straightforward. And it revolves around money; which seems difficult to move beyond.

We might seek to reform capitalism: creating organisations that operate more responsibly within it; making efforts to redistribute resources or redefine things. Essentially though, this system seems to work by plugging our ‘needs’ – real or imagined – with goods and services produced for profit; draining a presumably finite material world for our satisfaction (Notes Two). And if one company doesn’t do it, another probably will.

But surely we don’t need all this; we might ‘want’ it and it might set us apart from others, but much of it can hardly been deemed essential. So, what is that bubble of frivolity that seems to be engulfing us? What are we chasing, and why aren’t we stopping?

And I’m very aware I’m being a little dark here; that life’s ‘always’ been a struggle and people find a way. But these systems and the lives we live within them say something about how we view life, what’s important, and the ways we see and value one another. Could all that be organised more purposefully, with greater restraint and consideration? Are there ways to step back and engage more intentionally in reshaping these systems; creating meaning where we find it lacking?

Because this really seems a rather strange way of living; and maybe if we saw a choice we’d choose to say something quite different through the lives we lead and how we spend our time.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Relating to cultural benchmarks
Note 1: Intrinsic worth over social identity
Note 1: Life and money, seamlessly interwoven
Note 2: The motivation of money
Note 2: How many things are cycles (we could break)
Note 2: Is sustainable design an impossibility?

In a similar vein, What inspires all of this considered the human side of systems we inhabit.

So much of life seemingly comes down to money: appearance, social status, free time (and how you’re able to use it), opportunity, influence. In many areas of our cultural and social lives money has come to define us, limiting or separating us from one another as patterns of consumption become a way of life, a sense of self, and yet another way to set ourselves apart.

It’s something touched on recently with I am not just a sum and Money as a pivot of matter & intention, which spoke of how money flows through life, alongside a few other posts around the role of economic factors in education and society more broadly (see Notes One).

And it just seems strange at times how so much of our value as human beings is tied to this one method of quantification. Rather than money simply being an aspect of trade and a practical reality, it’s woven throughout our existence; including those areas of culture that give us shared meaning.

Activities and interests that impart meaning, identity, and belonging – books, movies, fashion, events – increasingly come across as being essentially about money. Whether we can afford to keep up with the latest trends or standards often seems an impossible or possibly futile race (Notes Two). As patterns of consumption, they work well; but as sources of human meaning and social cohesion they seem questionable.

I mean, we all seek to find our place within life: to create an identity and, based on that, form affiliations and pursue our interests to build a life for ourselves. As humans we seem drawn to expressing our true nature and finding others to celebrate or develop that with. Ideally, I suppose, we’d all hold meaning in one another’s eyes, even while we might tread different paths ourselves.

What would it mean if everything in life were simply a transaction? If every aspect of existence were part of a calculation and relationships were merely trade. If we always needed ‘something to offer’ in financial terms; rather than bringing qualities of love, friendship, compassion, patience, creativity, and so on. If, at best, everything in our lives were window dressing for the image we decided to craft for ourselves.

Almost everything now can be seen in terms of money: it all has a cost and a price; a figure attached that skates alongside all aspects of modern life. Is that simply “how it is” or could there be areas of life where we all stand equally, without the countless divisions money seems to create and sustain?

Money may create both opportunities and limitations for our lives, and it may be effective in terms of dividing and selling certain things; but when it comes to life, to human meaning and personal worth, it surely cannot become the be all and end all of existence. It just doesn’t seem quite right. As if we might be missing the point of life and reducing everything meaningful down to this one thing that really isn’t.

Notes and References:

Note 1: The motivation of money
Note 1: Economics and the task of education
Note 2: Relating to cultural benchmarks
Note 2: How many things are cycles (we could break)
Note 2: Fashion, self & environment

I’m not an economist, but find the idea of money as this point where needs or desires and capacities meet to be quite interesting; a sort of point of flow as humans act within their environment to fulfil their needs. It’s something I’ve discussed a few times here, leading to questions I find fascinating around sustainability and consumption (see Notes One). Whether our systems lead to wise courses of action for the future of humanity is surely a beautiful but challenging reality.

Because it really seems money is this symbol, this abstraction that ultimately just represents something and serves a purpose in life. As I spoke of in I am not just a sum, we might look at life and human existence from a purely economic perspective or also in the light of other values.

These days the economic stance seems to be winning out as we think in terms of markets matching resources to demands (creating or inflating them where they’re lacking); this basic model of human activity as needs being matched with products and ingenuity. Which is what it is: we have needs – be they personal, societal, planetary – and economic activity is this way of organising to meet them and sustain society in a way.

Although, how many of our ‘needs’ are genuine as opposed to stemming from psychological or social insecurity or the suggestions of marketing or modern culture? Are we in fact being drawn in by our very human inclinations toward status and security, maybe acting on greed or opportunity rather than taking only what we need then directing resources elsewhere?

Does the market really get to decide “what gets done”? Whether that’s what we’re offered as products; the environmental or ethical standards involved; the cultural, social or psychological messages accompanying it all; or the bigger picture we’re creating on a global scale.

Going back to money as a point of intention, these systems – emerging out of certain ideas and evolving into the activities we see today – essentially attempt to meet our needs out of limited resources: this flow of human life, of known or imagined needs and solutions, and the forms that developed to embody those functions. How wise that is, how conscious, and how controllable seem almost impossible questions to ask.

Ideally, I suppose, systems would be filled with people aware of what constitutes wise action for the long-term fulfilment of needs for the entire human community. Ideally there would be a sense of responsibility there, and both the intentions of organisations and those they seek to cultivate within their customers would be balanced in every sense.

If that’s not the case, where can wisdom and responsibility arise? If the system is to be market-based, where can such intentions bring themselves to bear? Clearly that could arise through regulation, but it’s also possible through conscious engagement and examination of our own motives and the wider impacts of our actions. The question of who solves our problems may be down to each one of us.

Notes and References:

Note 1: The motivation of money
Note 1: Is sustainable design an impossibility?
Note 1: Values and the economic
Note 1: How many things are cycles (we could break)

“New Renaissance” is one of many books that attempt to come to terms with reworking and bringing more meaning to our communities.

It’s pretty undeniable that money is a force which strongly influences modern society, shaping much of what is happening as well as the life being created for us all. Maybe that’s another case of me stating the obvious; but it’s an interesting situation.

Looking at the nature of money itself, it seems to seek or demand a certain consistency which, in turn, must limit our freedom to act. Money and business – with their notions of property, scalability, projections, and growth – seem to be systems that inherently try to control markets and resources, often manufacturing those needs through advertising or culture. And while with any given decision the ‘costs’ of our choices can be calculated; prioritising such considerations over other values must lead us down different paths (see Notes One).

From the human perspective, money clearly motivates us in a very practical sense; representing freedom and status as much as security. So much of our social and cultural ‘worth’ is now largely defined by money, in that most of what we’re told to value or admire can be bought (Notes Two). We essentially exist within this economic model that shapes our ideas, activities and lives in many ways: we work to gain money in order to survive and have social value in the eyes of others, and preferably to become free of that very system.

That last point I find intriguing: how many people say that if they became independently wealthy they wouldn’t work, but would travel and enjoy life. Because to me that implies we’re not truly invested in the societies and lives we’re creating; it’s all just a means to an end. Which seems true, but what does it mean if we’re existing in that way? Is our collective existence meaningless beyond the pursuit of wealth?

Practically speaking, money is this ‘carrot and stick’ that draws us in with certain promises while also creating corresponding fears and uncertainties. Business acts to fulfil our ‘needs’ and provide opportunities to earn an income; and our very existence forms the essential market for the goods, services and so on. On both the human and systemic side we’re then seeking a degree of security within that: trying to build a stable economy, society, or personal existence.

For me, this raises so many questions and it’s something I’ll come back to over the course of this year. Because ultimately these systems seem to be struggling in many ways: in terms of environmental resources and impacts most tangibly, but also in the sense of what it all means and where it’s leading. What has money come to represent, and what does it truly mean in both a practical and a human sense? How is it shaping the lives we are creating and the meaning we assign to one another and the world around us?

The economy seems to be this complicated system sitting at the core of our lives, and it would be wonderful if that could become much more human and much more meaningful.

Notes and References:

Note 1: Values and the economic
Note 1: Is sustainable design an impossibility?
Note 2: Relating to cultural benchmarks
Note 2: How many things are cycles (we could break)

This also relates to Laws and lawlessness, in the sense of the systems we’re a part of and the deeper meaning of our participation in them.