Addressing Global Economic Problems: Tinkering with the Margins vs. Changing the System

Capitalism has been able to lift more people out of poverty than any other economic system in history. It has however also cemented large numbers of others into poverty at the same time and today we are seeing the effects of a form of capitalism that is devoid of a sense of morality. We tend to think of markets as impersonal and independent. Our markets are however influenced by our culture. During this talk we will be examining how the form of monetary capitalism that we know today has been shaped by some of the major forces of our time; individualism, reductionism and utilitarianism. We will also discuss briefly the most important pros and cons of some the most important alternative approaches to system change and the challenges for the future arising from them.