Is it possible for the economy and the environment to survive and prosper in harmony?
“Yes,” says Professor James Eggert in his new book, “Greenspan’s Anguish (Thoreau as Economic Prophet and Other Essays).”
“Ecology and economy have the same prefix, eco-, from the Greek oikos, which literally means ‘home.’ Therefore, the original definition of economics involved careful stewardship of household resources, while ecology forces us to try to understand and appreciate the interrelationships within nature’s ‘household’. I believe that these two households are becoming more interdependent and their futures are more and more closely linked. When we fail to calculate ecological values or see the connections, we pave the way for losses that are unintended and undesired,” Professor Eggert writes in his essay, “Meadowlark Economics.”
“Greenspan’s Anguish” contains 19 essays that explore the relationship between the economy and the environment, sustainability, and our relationship with the universe.
In addition to “Meadowlark Economics,” which examines the value of the lark, both as a symbol of what has gone wrong in our economy and as a symbol of what is essential to our existence, the book includes “Thoreau as Economic Prophet,” “The Darwin’s Finches and Ford’s Mustangs”, “Then the Sun Came Up”, “Craft and Salvation”, and “The Coming Reparations Era”.
“The author is an economist, but not one dedicated to the prevailing theology of his profession. Economists mostly work with the dedication of beavers towards the great goal of More… now comes James Eggert, one of a small school of economists who have begun to think outside the box…there are delightful discussions about larks, about the nature of capitalism, about the “economist” Henry David Thoreau, about crafts and high jumps, about topsoil and the art of repair and many other things that constitute a happy and complete life”. (From the foreword by Bill McKibben).
“The author is an excellent professor of economics whose vision transcends his chosen discipline. This book will touch even those readers far removed from the dismal science.” (Alfred L. Malabre Jr. – former economics editor of “The Wall Street Journal”).
James Eggert is a writer and faculty member emeritus at the University of Wisconsin – Stout, where he taught undergraduates for 33 years. He is also the author of “What Economics Is (Fourth Edition)”, “An Invitation to Economics”, “Low Cost Earth Shelters”, “The Wonder of the Tao” and “Meadowlark Economics”.
“Greenspan’s Anguish” (Copyright 2013; Green Dragon Books) is available at most local or online bookstores, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Powell’s Books, Green Dragon Books .
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