Author: julieanelson

Julie A. Nelson is a Professor of Economics; a writer on gender, ethics, economics, and ecology; a senior dharma teacher at the Greater Boston Zen Center; mother of two grown children; and, when energy permits, an avid dancer.

Surgeon and ?

So here’s a riddle for you: A man and his son are in a car accident…

surgical mask (1)

So here’s a riddle for you:

A man and his son are in a car accident. The man is killed instantly, and his son is rushed to the local hospital. The emergency room personnel see that the boy will need to be operated on,  and call for the surgeon. But, looking at the boy, the surgeon says, “I can’t operate. That’s my son!” How can this be? Continue reading “Surgeon and ?”

Mixing It Up: Introduction

How is a cupcake like a gorilla?

483117025-grey-and-black-piled-pebble-stones-gettyimages
Credit: Getty Images

We humans like to think in tidy, distinct categories. Things are different, or they are the same. If they are different, we put them in different piles. If the same, we lump them into the same pile. Life is easy.

Or maybe life isn’t easy. Life can be tough, when we have problems in our relationships. Life can be tough, when we think of big issues like the economy, or climate change. Continue reading “Mixing It Up: Introduction”

Why this blog?

Thoughts on economics, ethics, gender, climate, language, Zen, and a few other things…

wintery spring

Dear friends,

I’ve just started a blog that has the tagline, “Thoughts on economics, ethics, gender, climate, language, Zen, and a few other things…” What in the world could those things have in common?? Continue reading “Why this blog?”

Really Radical Economics

Many have argued that the current economic system must be dismantled, and replaced with a “new economy” of local, well-being-oriented, cooperative, and compassion-inspired communities. You’ve probably read articles along these lines.
This isn’t another.

 

juggernaut
Credit: http://www.darkroastedblend.com.

Socially equitable. Ecologically sustainable. Personally and spiritually satisfying. What sort of economic transformations are needed to achieve societies like these?

Many writers including Gar Alperovitz, David Loy and David Korten argue that the current economic system of global, profit-oriented, individualistic, and greed-driven corporations and markets must be dismantled, and replaced with a “new economy” of local, well-being-oriented, cooperative, and compassion-inspired communities.  You’ve probably read articles along these lines – or perhaps you’ve written them.

This isn’t another. Continue reading “Really Radical Economics”