A new economics.

Usually, when I get a notion in my head I sit to write out my thoughts. The first eighty million pages are reactions and assumptions bouncing back and forth. I spend the next fifty million pages trying to give structure to my ramblings. Eventually, I realize that I have my finger on the thread and throw it all away and start over in earnest. This is the structure of my communication process. In this, I am a reflection of civilization.

Strictly ā priōrī.

The word “truth” is to a philosopher what the word “value” is to an economist. Neither will be able to define these words in any straightforward and simple manner. The difference, and what tends to drive philosophers insane, is that truth exists outside of our perception and awareness. Value does not exist outside of our awareness, and this makes it very easy to ignore important things. Because of the way we live on this Earth, by the time we become aware of something its value is so astronomically high that there is more financial value in ignoring it than addressing it.

The duality of economics.

On the one hand economics is about value, and on the other hand it is about communication. Technically, economics originally was supposed to be about how we communicated value, not about value itself, but our feudal conditioning made short work of that. All of our economic theories are focused exclusively on value, and wealth and power are valued most in a feudal system. However, as our population grows, becoming more dense and volatile, our view of economics needs to shift to be more about communication.

The truth is hanging on the wall.

If we come across a Monet painting we tend to stand silently and admire it. If we come across a piece of “modern art” we will almost always ask what it is. Art is a sign of the times and in modern art the value is not in the piece of art itself, but in the explanation of its value. Similarly, the value of the American economy is not in the economy itself, but in the defense of the economy. As history will plainly show, all feudal empires collapse under their own weight. (Most notable is that the general public will eventually value the destruction of the ruling class more than anything else.) It would be far more advantageous and sustainable, especially when considering a global society, to build an economy whose value is in sustainable cultures.

A culture of communication.

A religion is a complex formula of rites, rituals, mores, and norms designed to build and maintain a community. Language and the norms of communication make up the bulk of any culture. Freedom of speech is good when it comes to expressing ourselves, but it quickly becomes a burden and liability when people use it simply to get attention or gain leverage. A healthy person has layers of behavior and communication; only being their true selves with a small number of the most trusted of friends.Then, as we engage out in public we tend to restrict ourselves to a homogenized generality simply to make life easier and more efficient. An economy should reflect this.

The economy of a sustainable society would value the structure of how we communicate value more than the value of anything else.