Earth Community
- Rick Bonetti
- 4 hours ago
- 4 min read
David Korten, in his 1995 book When Corporations Rule the World, tried to make a case for the unworkability of current economic systems on several grounds:
Impoverishment of the majority of the population
Need for indefinitely expanding credit leading to the debasement of the currency
The finite limits of energy and material resources
Korten critiques current methods of economic development led by the Bretton Woods institutions and asserts his desire to rebalance the power of multinational corporations with concern for environmental sustainability and what he terms "people-centered development"
Korten's 2006 book The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community argued that "the development of empires about 5,000 years ago initiated unequal distribution of power and social benefits to the small portion of the population that controlled them. He also argued that corporations are modern versions of empire, both being social organizations based on hierarchies, chauvinism, and domination through violence."
"The rise of powerful advanced technology, combined with the control of corporate as well as nation-based empires is described as being increasingly destructive to communities and the environment.
Korten postulated in 2006 that the world is on the verge of a perfect storm of converging crises, including anthropogenic adverse climate change, post-peak oil production decline, and a financial crisis caused by an unbalanced global economy. This will precipitate major changes to the current economic and social structure."
Korten believes that these crises will present an opportunity for significant changes that could replace the paradigm of "Empire" with one of "Earth Community." Although recognizing the potential that the opportunity may not be seized, Korten hopes that this opportunity will result in the emergence of an "Earth Community," based on sustainable, just, and caring communities that incorporate the values of mutual responsibility and accountability, and he advocates toward that.
In 2015 Korten's book, Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth was published calling our current story "Sacred Money and Markets" - money being the sole measure of all worth and the source of all happiness, while inequality and environmental destruction are unfortunate but unavoidable. We need a new guiding story that aligns with our deepest understanding of the universe and our relationship to it.
2015 was the twentieth anniversary republishing of Korten's 1995 book, in which he shared insights from his personal experience as a participant in the growing movement for a New Economy. A new Introduction documents the further concentration of wealth and corporate power since 1995 and explored why our institutions resolutely resist even modest reform. A new Conclusion chapter outlines high-leverage opportunities for breakthrough change.
In Ecological Civilization: From Emergency to Emergence (2021) Korten says:
"The drive to grow money imperils the human future. Money is a number that has value only when other people offer something to sell that we need or desire. Useful as a tool, money becomes dangerous when embraced as a purpose. Making the growth of monetary exchange and financial assets the defining purpose of society is an act of collective insanity. The majority suffer so the few, mostly those who already have more than they need, can grow their financial assets. The process leads ultimately to human self-extinction. There are no winners on a dead Earth."
In March 2024, David Korten wrote on his website: “Eco-nomics for an Ecological Civilization.” warning that society must eliminate fInancial extremes.”
Korten's January 27, 2025 post: When Billionaires Rule the World asserts not only are "for-profit corporations surpassing democratic governments as society’s most powerful governing institutions.,, the world is now witnessing an alliance of tech and financial billionaires that has taken control of the administrative, judicial, and legislative branches of the world’s most powerful government.,, We have a billionare problem."
In April 2025 President Trump unleashed global economic chaos through his executive order Regulating imports with a reciprocal tariff to rectify trade practices that contribute to a large and persistent annual United States goods trade deficits.
Meanwhile on April 5, 2025 Congress passed H.Con.Res.14 - "establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034." According to PBS News Hour - Politics: News Wrap, "This is a “Republican bill that advances President Trump's proposed tax and spending cuts....The bill lays out a possible $5 trillion in tax cuts, raises the debt limit, and calls for $350 billion to fund mass deportation efforts and to build up the military. Democrats argue the bill will lead to cuts in social safety net programs. The measure now heads to the House, where Republicans are taking a different approach, including $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and envisioning changes to Medicaid, food stamps, and other programs.”
Today on Bloomberg, Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock said "most CEOs he talks with think we are in a recession," offering buying opportunities long term. Robert Reich also believes we will have a recession and "Trump and his billionaire buddies — the American oligarchy — have a plan... a recession is not necessarily bad for Trump and his billionaire buddies. America’s oligarchy depends on periodic recessions. Recessions are opportunities to buy up real estate, companies, and shares of stock at bargain-basement prices. Recessions also give political cover to Trump, Musk, and Republican efforts to reduce labor and environmental standards."
The Institute for the Postmodern Development of China (IPDC) is "a local non-profit that serves as a bridge between the US and China, focusing especially on process thought and ecological civilization. The leaders, Meijun Fan and Zhihe Wang, organize conferences locally (like the annual International Forum on Ecological Civilization at Pitzer College), and bring leading thinkers from China to Claremont, CA as visiting scholars."
Current United States politics is not moving us toward an "Earth Community," but other nations will readjust alliances and economic ties. China may end up a winner in the U.S. attempt at isolationalsim.
What do you think?
"If we want a society in which the sense of belonging is strong, people are concerned for one another, and there is strong commitment to the common good, we need a metaphysics that shows that we are in fact part of larger societies and have no existenece apart from our relations to others." ~ John Cobb
Comments