Arthur Edwards - Capital and human needs
| Place: | WorthAttention |
| Start date and time: | Friday 07, November 2008 |
| End date and time: | 19:45 - 21:00 |
| Price: | Tickets: £4.00 |
Beyond The Credit Crunch - Capital and Human Needs
Capital is said to be a good servant and a bad master. Recent events bear witness to the apparent inability of governments, banks, corporations to bring the capital markets to heel. Is it within the capacity of individuals to reform the way capital has taken on the mantle of uncontested dominance in today’s financial arena?Since the 15th century, with the gradual emergence of a sovereign economic realm, traditional constraints upon capital have been removed. ‘Capital markets’, ‘capital growth’ and ‘capital mobility’ inform the very mood of modern investment. Now at the beginning of the 21st century, the idea that nothing should stand in the way of capital is both celebrated and berated. The abstract form of economic life today ushered in by this ‘emancipation’ presents humanity with the challenge of overcoming a schizophrenic relationship to capital. For capital cannot serve both itself and the economy, however one might wish it so. Evidence of this can be found in the damaging volatility to which ‘free’ capital has given rise, apparently a counterpart to its uncontested dominance in today’s financial arena. Will such concerns about footloose capital herald a regulatory superstate? Or is it within the capacity of individuals themselves to effect the necessary reform by bringing to their economic conduct an enhanced degree of conscious intent?
Arthur Edwards
Arthur Edwards has a diploma in associative economics and is presently undertaking doctoral research into Rudolf Steiner’s idea of three kinds of money at Buckingham University. He is a director of the Centre for Associative Economics and co-edits Associative Economics Monthly. With a particular interest in accounting and financial literacy, he gives courses in schools, to which end he has developed a role-playing activity entitled Building The Road You Are On. He has given workshops on money at conferences around the world, convened seminars and regular public discussion fora in the UK and written a paper entitled Citizenised Central Banking: From Gold To Golden Rule. Previously he co-founded the Oxford Economics Forum and was active in the fair trade movement as a representative for Shared Interest. Married with one child, he currently lives in Stroud. For more information see arthuredwards.net.
Format 
This evening will provide an opportunity to consider the significance of capital in today’s circumstances: the challenges it brings and the role it might play. A short presentation, illustrated with pastels on black paper, will give the context for questions and conversation. Space will be given to consideration of recent events.
