Sacred Economics: Money, Gift, and Society in the Age of Transition

sustainability has been fighting a losing battle against profit.

It is not merely our attitudes about money that must change, as some self-help gurus would have us believe; rather, we will create new kinds of money that embody and reinforce changed attitudes.

it is easy for economists to believe in the possibility of endless exponential growth, where a mere number represents the size of the economy.

levying a charge on reserves would require almost no new financial infrastructure.

By facilitating trade, motivating efficient production, and allowing the accumulation of capital to undertake large-scale projects, money should enrich life: it should bestow upon us ease, leisure, freedom from anxiety, and an equitable distribution of wealth. Indeed, conventional economic theory predicts all of these results. The fact that money h

For something to become an object of commerce, it must be made scarce first.

It will restore the mentality of the gift to our vocations and economic life. It will reverse the money-induced homogenization and depersonalization of society. It will be an extension of the ecosystem, not a violation of it. It will promote local economies and revive community. It will encourage initiative and reward entrepreneurship. It will be c

returning the commons to the people while nonetheless giving free rein to the spirit of entrepreneurship.

From the user’s perspective, it is nothing more than a shift of taxation away from sales and income and toward raw materials and pollution.