Social thinking is not simply a nice way of looking at life, an optimistic or positive orientation. Characteristically it involves thinking in an inclusive way, somehow considering the varied interests of everyone in society. Many people cling to the stubborn ideas of naked capitalism, that self-interest leads to social wealth, even while we see that the idea is undermining everything that is valuable and worthwhile. Social thinking involves working with the reality of reciprocity and mutuality. Almost twenty years ago a group of high school students and their economics teacher launched a socially designed regional currency in Germany that has gained admirers around the world over the last two decades. It is a beautiful example of a social orientation to monetary design that stands in contrast to many conversations about crypto currency and tragic stories like the demise of FTX.

References:

Michael Ende. Momo. McSweeney’s McMullens, 2013.

Bernard Lietaer and Jacqui Dunne. Rethinking Money: How New Currencies Turn Scarcity into Prosperity. Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2013.

Jon Palmer and Patrick Collinson. “Local Currencies the German Way: The Chiemgauer.” The Guardian, September 23, 2011, sec. Money. https://www.theguardian.com/money/2011/sep/23/local-currencies-german-chiemgauer.

Rudolf Steiner. Economics: The World as One Economy. New Economy Publications, 1993.

Chiemgauer - https://www.chiemgauer.info/

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