Evonomics

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Concept

By Larry Arnhart:

"“Evonomics” is the term adopted by David Sloan Wilson and his colleagues for what they call “the Next Evolution of Economics,” which they see as economics founded on evolution and complexity science.

The term “Evonomics” was first coined by Michael Shermer in an article in Scientific American (January, 2008), which Shermer applied to the expanding evolution of trade to explain the economic evolution from hunting-gatherer societies to modern commercial societies.

In one of his first posts at the website, Wilson identified the evolutionists who think about economics as belonging to three groups. The “Right-leaning evolutionists” include me, Shermer, and Matt Ridley. The “Left-leaning evolutionists” include Herbert Gintis, Samuel Bowles, and Peter Singer. Those holding the center in the political spectrum include Jonathan Haidt and Robert Frank. (Although Haidt has said he’s a “centrist,” I have claimed his moral psychology actually supports classical liberalism.)" (http://evonomics.com/what-bernie-sanders-and-david-sloan-wilson/)


More Information


Website

= "the gathering place for people building the new economy based on the best scientific knowledge available".

URL = http://evonomics.com/


"Evonomics isn’t just a site; it is a cooperative effort to establish a new economic paradigm that will improve the quality of life for society as a whole, not just a privileged faction.

Economic thinkers around the world increasingly realize that the central assumptions of traditional economic thought are bankrupt. Talk of “homo-economicus”, “free market solutions”, and “trickle-down economics” are routinely ridiculed as absurd when viewed against the complex realities of life. It’s clear now that the field of economics doesn’t have answers to our most pressing problems. There are calls for a new economic paradigm—one that is based on what it means to be human and how complex systems like economies function.

The need has never been greater for an approach that works. Everyone from top-level economists and policy planners to thought leaders and community activists share a common thread; global threats ranging from climate disruption to radical wealth inequality are the logical conclusion of faulty economic thinking. The solutions to these systemic problems must be built around a different set of intellectual pillars than the ones currently breaking down.

In the halls of academia, far from the public eye, there has been a quiet revolution in economic thinking. The failed economic assumptions, ideas, and analytical frameworks are being replaced by approaches based on the latest science of human behavior and complex social systems. A small interdisciplinary group has taken up the challenge to set course on a new beginning. Their work has received some attention, but not nearly enough.

This new paradigm is what we call Evonomics. It is the next evolution of economics.

On February 1, 2015, at the Ernst Strüngmann Forum, over forty intellectual leaders from across the world met to rethink and reshape economics. They were tasked to establish new foundations for the field using complexity and evolutionary principles. Much progress was made, but more work is needed to make economics relevant for the 21st century.

Few outside the research world are aware of these deep and profound changes underway and how they have the power to transform politics and policy. This is why we are making Evonomics the public home for thinkers who are working on the next evolution of economics and who want to see their ideas influence society."


Discussion

WHO WE ARE

Evonomics is a community of leaders who come from all walks of life ranging from business and politics to non-profit organizations and universities. They share the goal to update economics and public policy with the latest scientific knowledge.

The site is managed by journalists and marketing and communication entrepreneurs who have spent years collaborating with the community of scientists and intellectuals on their groundbreaking approach. Evonomics is the culmination of the years they spent engaging this community behind the scenes to provide the public with a fresh perspective for economics.

Robert Kadar is co-founder of Evonomics and is a marketing and communications expert. He has helped launch many sites including This View of Life, the popular online science magazine he founded. Robert spent years working at the Evolution Institute with scientists to promote their important ideas to the general public. His last creation is the children’s book Great Adaptation.

Joe Brewer is co-founder of Evonomics and was the founder and director of Cognitive Policy Works. He is an innovation strategist who weaves together brilliant people and ideas to create integrated solutions at the intersections of the advocacy, policy, and technology worlds. Throughout the last decade Joe has sought to understand human values and behavior through the study of cognitive semantics and complex systems with the goal of helping build livable communities for the 21st century.

Evonomics works with a range of organizations, scientists, journalists, artists, filmmakers, advertisers and marketers to bring the new economic paradigm to life and to influence future generations of leaders." (http://evonomics.com/)

More Information

  • The Evolution Institute connects the world of evolutionary science to the world of public policy formulation.