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Molly Cato - The economist as shaman: revisioning our role for a sustainable, provisioning economy
jpe:10623 - Journal of Philosophical Economics, May 20, 2012, Volume V Issue 2 - https://doi.org/10.46298/jpe.10623In view of the problems heterodox economists have faced in predicting, explaining and finding solutions to the financial and ecological crises facing humanity, the paper takes a wide-angle view of the question of what the role of an economist might be in a sustainable society. I argue that the role of an economist is one of an intermediary between people and the resources they need for survival, a role that in less rationalist societies might have been performed by a priest or shaman. I propose three central responsibilities for an economist in a sustainable society: supporting a process of re-embedding the economy in the environment; negotiating a respectful—even reverential—relationship between humans and non-human species; ensuring a means of acquiring resources that minimises the entropic impact of the human community.
Classifications
- A11 - Role of Economics; Role of Economists; Market for Economists