Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth. Today, these trends have reached their extreme - but in the wake of their collapse, we may find great opportunity to transition to a more connected, ecological, and sustainable way of being.
"I consider Charles Eisenstein one of the up-and-coming great minds of our time. Rarely have I met a person who combines such philosophical and spiritual depth with such practical insights into the cultural and institutional origins of the potentially terminal dysfunctions of modern society - and the potential solutions."
- David Korten, author of The Great Turning
- David Korten, author of The Great Turning
Above: Sacred Economics (2012) - short film by Ian MacKenzie, a teaser on the ideas of Charles Eisenstein and the return of the gift.
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Gift World
Chapter 2: Greed and the Illusion of Scarcity
Chapter 3: Money and the Mind
Chapter 4: The Trouble with Property
Chapter 5: The Corpse of the Commons
Chapter 6: The Economics of Usury
Chapter 7: The Crisis of Civilization
Chapter 8: The Turning of the Age
Chapter 9: The Story of Value
Chapter 10: The Law of Return
Chapter 11: Currencies of the Commons
Chapter 12: Negative-interest Economics
Chapter 13: Steady-state and Degrowth Economics
Chapter 14: The Social Dividend
Chapter 15: Local and Complementary Currencies
Chapter 16: Transition to Gift Economy
Chapter 17: Summary and Roadmap
Chapter 18: Relearning Gift Culture
Chapter 19: Non-Accumulation
Chapter 20: Right Livelihood and Sacred Investing
Chapter 21: Working in the Gift
Chapter 22: Community and the Unquantifiable
Chapter 23: A New Materialism
Chapter 24: Conclusion: The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Tell Us Is Possible
