(This working paper was originally written by author, independent scholar, engaged citizen, and former Harvard Business School professor, Dr. David Korten, as a contribution to ongoing discussions framing a new economics for the 21st century. It has been adapted to contribute to discussions at the 2019 Club of Rome Annual Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, in November 2019. It may be freely shared in whole or in part.)
October 18, 2019
Our most prestigious universities continue to teach economic principles that empower corporations in the service of money, destroy Earth’s capacity to sustain life, leave the many in desperation, and drive humanity to self-extinction. An economics for the 21st century will guide us to an economy that empowers people in the service of life.
Humanity is awakening to a grim reality. We are on a path to self-extinction. This reality stems from the destructive impact of deeply flawed cultural, institutional, technological, and infrastructure choices. The remedy will not lie in marginal adjustments. Our common future depends on revisioning what we mean by civilization and finding our way to a future consistent with the distinctive creative potential we possess as a now global choice-making species.