Building a social and economic order that serves life

Abstract The present social and economic order, based on the accumulation of abstract social wealth, is a formidable obstacle to restoring the unity of humans and nature. Any sustainable order must ensure that the conditions for the flourishing of life are maintained, which implies the satisfaction of fundamental human needs. Achieving this goal requires radical changes, including downscaling and reorienting most economic projects and enterprises, building a social organization that privileges connection to others and nature, deeply modifying the social roles of work and money, and reducing social inequality. A society based on the satisfaction of fundamental human needs can also reduce humanity’s ecological footprint on the biosphere by reducing both the average per capita footprint and human population size. Economics should be reoriented toward establishing the meaning and limits of human action in nature so that life on Earth can flourish and be perpetuated.