Tag Archives: Civil society

Our Culture, Our Economy

The Duke and Duchess of Peace started this blog to highlight the values we all share, values that are not represented in the military-industrial media. The ideas in the article Win the Culture War describe the values we are talking about, but Duke Augustus does take issue with the name of the article.  The idea of a “war” is not part of the positive values described in the article.  It is not a “war”, not a competition, not destructive.  It is a creative act, a sharing, a coming together, a seeking of unity:

  • The human brain is wired to support creativity, cooperation and life in community. That is our nature. The prevalence of materialism, greed, competition and violence common in modern society is a symptom of severe cultural and institutional dysfunction.
  • We humans inhabit a wondrous but finite living planet with a self-organizing biosphere to which we must adapt our lives and economies.
  • Life, not money, is the true measure of value; money’s only legitimate use is in life’s service. An obsession with making money is a sign of psychological and social dysfunction.
  • Markets are essential to the function of a healthy democratic society. Their proper function, however, depends on proper rules implemented by democratic governments under the watchful eye of a strong and dynamic civil society.
As much as Duke Augustus agrees with these values, he takes issue with the name of the series where they are discussed:  New Economy 2.0.  These are not new values nor the updated version of values.  These are very old values They are basic to humanity.  they underpin every major religious tradition .