Additional information
by Wayne I. Henry (Author)
This book posits that a sustainable future is possible without abandoning Capitalism. In its current form as Consumer Capitalism, the organization of the global economy is clearly unsustainable. But Capitalism is a malleable concept that has assumed a variety of forms since the 17th century, and it can be altered as needed.
In Part I of this book, the author sets out an economic model for a sustainable form of Capitalism, referred to in the literature as Natural Capitalism. In Part II, he abandons exposition in favour of rigorous philosophical analysis and critiques the older but still dominant narrative that underlies Classical Liberalism. The narrative will be reconstructed with great care and analysed to understand why it has been so powerful and enduring, and, of course, why it is no longer appropriate for our current circumstances. In Part III, he investigates from a normative perspective Classical Liberalism and globalized Capitalism and the economic system it licenses. Finally, in the conclusion, the author draws the threads of the discussion together in a way that emphasizes the differences between the two narratives, Classical Liberalism on the one hand and the contemporary version of Progressive Liberalism that nurtures and supports Natural Capitalism on the other.
This book will be of interest to a broad range of scholars and curious laypersons interested in a clear and interdisciplinary presentation of the issues arising out of climate change, including corporate governance, social and environmental policy, declining social capital and the capacity of democratic institutions to deal effectively with sustainability. It will be particularly relevant for students and instructors of philosophy, history, economics, political science, social policy and environmental sociology.
Author Biography
Wayne I. Henry is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, Canada, where since 2009 he has taught courses in logic, the history of analytic philosophy and a course in business, globalization and sustainability. The ideas that inspired the development of this last course also inspired this book. Also, he is a lecturer in philosophy at Langara College in Vancouver, Canada, where he has taught business ethics for many years. Wayne has published in the areas of consumerism, globalized Capitalism and about establishing reasoned discourse with the "unreasonable," among others. He has for a long time been active in the animal welfare movement and activities in Vancouver area.
