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Gerson Simões Monteiro |
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The New Economy
Economic
systems basic
elements.
Classification
of Economy
systems,
nowadays.
Economy, Ecology
and Spiritism.
Basics for a New
Economy |
On October 22,
2014, we
attended, as an
economist, a
roundtable on
"The meek shall
inherit the
Earth",
discussing the
subject "The New
Economy", at the
3rd Spiritist
Congress:
"Celebration of
the 150 Years of
The Gospel
According to
Spiritism". The
Congress was
organized by the
Religions
Program of
Studies and
Research -
PROEPER, the
Centre for
Social Sciences
at the State
University of
Rio de Janeiro -
UERJ, and Mrs.
Nadja do Couto
Valle,
Professor,
represented
Spiritism.
With the aid of
the data-show we
made our speech,
and among other
fundamentals of
the New Economy,
we discussed the
answer given by
the Instructors
of Humanity to
Allan Kardec,
question 930 of
the Book of
Spirits: "In
a society
organized
according to the
Laws of Christ,
no one should
die of hunger".
Etymology of the
word economy and
its definition
Then, we started
to explain the
etymology of the
word Economy,
which comes from
the Greek
oikos that
means the house
or property and
nomos,
rule or norm.
Etymologically,
it meant, at
that time,
housekeeping. In
order to give it
its current
meaning the
political
adjective
(polis, from the
Greek and
meaning city)
was added to it.
It then became
clear that the
economy had the
specific goal of
society, not the
individual or
family unit.
Continuing the
subject, we
presented the
definition of
Economics as a
social science
that studies the
production,
distribution and
consumption of
goods and
services, and
examines the
forms of human
behavior
resulting from
the relationship
between the
needs of men and
the resources
available to
satisfy them.
We clarified
also that this
science is
closely linked
to the political
nations and to
people's
lives, and
one of its main
purposes is to
explain how the
economic systems
and the
relations of the
economic agents
work, proposing
solutions to
existing
problems.
Basic elements
of economic
systems
Given the
definition of
economics and
its scope, we
believe that the
basic elements
of an economic
system are:
1) The stocks of
productive
resources or
factors of
production,
which are the
human resources
(labor and
entrepreneurship),
capital, land,
natural
resources and
technology;
2) The complex
production
units, which
comprise the
companies; and
3) The set of
political,
legal, economic
and social
institutions,
which form the
basis of social
organization.
Economic systems
classification
Presently,
regarding the
classification
of the economic
systems, we can
say there are
two systems:
capitalism and
socialism.
The capitalist
system or market
economy
is governed by
market forces,
predominantly
free enterprise
and private
ownership of
production
factors. The
capitalist
system
predominates in
most
industrialized
countries, or in
an
industrialization
phase and its
economy is based
on the
separation
between legally
free workers,
who have only
the workforce
and sell it for
wages, and the
capitalists, who
own the means of
production and
hire workers to
produce goods
(goods directed
to the market)
in order to
obtain profits.
Socialism
refers to any of
several theories
of economic
organization
defending public
or collective
ownership and
management of
the means of
production and
distribution of
goods, and a
society
characterized by
equal
opportunities/resources
for all
individuals with
a more equal
method of
compensation.
The current
countries that
follow the
one-party
socialism are:
the People's
Republic of
China, the
Democratic
People's
Republic of
Korea (North
Korea), the
Republic of
Cuba, the
Socialist
Republic of
Vietnam and the
People's
Democratic
Republic of
Laos.
Economy and
Spiritism
After having
conceptualized
the Economy, the
basic elements
of economic
systems and
their
classification,
and supported by
the basic
foundation of
the new economy,
in which in an
organized
society,
according to the
teachings of
Jesus, "No one
should die of
hunger,"
considering that
all men are
children of God
and considering
that we are all
immortal, and
that our
evolution is
obtained by
means of
reincarnation,
we proposed the
following
considerations:
1st reflection -
The evolutionary
process of the
Spirit
Then we showed
the graphic of
the Evolution of
the Spirit, from
our book
Reincarnation it
is Possible to
Prove It, in
order to prove
that all Spirits
created by God
will reach one
day spiritual
perfection, the
same perfection
achieved by
Jesus.
Therefore, it is
important to say
that God created
us to be perfect
and happy. The
Doctrine gives
man this great
hope through his
spiritual and
eminently
evolutionary
philosophy,
revealing him
his glorious
destination
reserved by the
Creator. When
man understands
this goal, which
he is to win by
means of his own
effort, he feels
fully motivated
to regenerate
and change
himself into a
good man.
2nd reflection -
Before the
proposal for a
new economy
Continuing, we
present the
issues 806,
806-a, 811,
811-a, 812,
812-a of the
chapter Law of
Equality in the
The Book of
Spirits,
making it clear
that social
differences are
the work of man
and not God, and
that they will
disappear one
day as man
progresses
morally,
fighting
selfishness,
social scourge,
according to the
Humanity
Instructors when
answering Allan
Kardec, the
Spiritism
Encoder.
3rd reflection -
Economy and
Ecology
Now, considering
that economy is
the science that
studies human
behavior and the
relation between
its needs and
available
resources to
meet them, it is
essential to
think about the
relation between
Ecology
(environment)
and the New
Economy. In
short: "Preserve
to grow and grow
without
destroying".
In the
introduction of
the Project of
our own "Preservation
of the
Environment",
sent to the
CEERJ - State
Spiritist
Council of Rio
de Janeiro in
2005, we
emphasized the
environmental
insanity, by
stating:
It is true that
the world never
needed much of a
refreshing
thought and a
new philosophy
of action as
this moment, in
which the
environmental
process is being
accelerated out
of control. But
we cannot forget
that man is the
administrator of
earthly goods,
as correctly
said by the
Spiritual
Benefactor
Emmanuel,
through the pen
of Francisco
Candido Xavier,
when he explains
on page
Evolution and
Improvement
(in the Book of
Hope, CEC
Edition):
"Indeed, on
behalf of the
Eternal Wisdom,
man is the
master of
evolution on
Earth. All
elements are
subject to his
discretion. All
kingdoms of the
planet render
him homage".
4th reflection -
Population
Growth
We must agree
that the Earth
has limited
resources in all
fields. And
these resources
are constantly
decreasing. Each
year, 15 million
acres of
cropland are
taken over by
the desert in
Africa. In many
countries there
are no forests
left. Oil may
end before man
finds you a
replacement.
Humanity is
spending the
riches of the
Earth and
overloading it
of debris at a
pace that is
becoming
untenable. With
so much
selfishness and
shortsightedness,
especially by
the richest
countries, how
will the planet
deal with the
billions of new
inhabitants set
for the coming
decades and
centuries?
The human
species, using
the intelligence
with which it is
endowed, creates
forms of
production
necessary to
maintain them in
the terrestrial
orb. However,
these forms run
into a difficult
obstacle to be
overcome: the
consumption of
the planet's
wealth combined
with the
saturation of
debris at a
rate that may be
unsustainable
due to the
population
growth already
noted, according
to well known
projections.
The estimated
world
population,
which until 1500
was of 500
million
inhabitants, in
1961 reached
three billion.
On August 13,
1987, that is,
26 years later,
the world
celebrated five
billion. In 2005
the Earth
reached 6.5
billion people,
meaning an
increase of 1
billion people
compared to
1993, despite
low fertility in
developed
countries and
high mortality
in developing
countries.
Finally,
according to a
report released
by the UN, it
reached 7
billion in 2012
and most
probably 9
billion in 2015.
The growth rate
decreased from
2% at the end of
the 1960s to
1.2% today.
Conclusion
Our proposal, in
short, is based
on the following
Basics for the
New Economy:
1) In a society
organized under
the law of
Christ, no
one should die
of hunger;
2) Consider that
the population
growth should be
dealt not with
policies such as
abortion, but
with better
income
distribution
policies, such
as the
control of
selfishness and
not through
birth control;
3) Ecology, as a
way to preserve
the planet,
should keep in
mind:
preserve to grow
and grow without
destroying;
and
4) Man's
education on
moral grounds,
i.e. forming a
good man,
through the
education of his
Spirit.
Gerson Simões
Monteiro, a
former
University
Professor and
Economist, is
vice-president
of the "Radio
Rio de Janeiro".
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