A Wee Story

There was Economics, busying itself on the ground - and in the ground, mining it. Then along came Justice and complained about poverty and ill-treatment of workers. Along came Ecology, with animals, plants and ecosystems suffering from pollution and loss of home. Soon after, along came Climate Concern. On the sidelines was Theology, watching from a distance. Justice accused Ecology and Climate Concern of making poverty worse, but then came to see that without their help poverty would get far worse. From them was born Climate Justice, something of a warrior. Theology began to take sides. Compassion was silent.

Economics ignored them, feeling comfortable since its feet were on solid ground while they were all up in the air. A few friends of Economics pointed them out, but Economics took no notice. Then the earth quaked, and Economics was scared. Along came Government to pacify Economics (whom it depended on), while throwing a few kisses at Justice and Climate. Economics was doubtful. So were Justice, Ecology and Climate Concern. Lots of noisy arguments. Theology still looked on from a distance. Without warning, Pandemic entered, silencing everyone. Ecology and Compassion began to sing in the silence, but soon the clamour began again and drowned out the singing, especially as War arrived. But God had enjoyed the singing. Indeed, the aim had been a choral symphony, right from the start.

What is the Scope of our Discussions of Economics?

Here we take Economics to be what we call:

The economic aspect of human functioning

our production, conservation and consumption,
and the repercussions of all these
in every sphere of life and reality
both Good, Harmful and Useless;

along with:

their tools, techniques and technologies,

their concepts and calculations (e.g. of value),

their symbols (e.g. currency) and language,

their institutions (households, banks, businesses, commons, nations),

their harmony,

their regulations, rules and responsibilities,

the attitudes that attend them,

and the beliefs, commitments, motivations, aspirations, expectations and what is taken for granted (assumptions, presuppositions)

The meaning and relevance of all these will become clear in the pages and links above.

Part of Christian Thinking About Economics and a Yet Another Rethink of Economics.

Created: 25 March 2024. Last updated: