Ways to Think About Economy in the 21st Century

Namaste, Welcome to SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation).  In the last week of January 2026, I shared an excerpt from a reflective field note titled ‘What AI Can’t and Shouldn’t Replace’. The field note points out that, what we’ll give up for AI if we’re not careful is an essential degree of challenge and struggle in our pursuits which has a refining influence on our beings and defines us as humans. Therefore, we need to keep these systems as useful tools—and not more. Maintaining trust in human judgement is key to preventing them becoming insufficient replacements for our natural intelligence, as imperfect as it can be. Now, SAM-VAD (Together In Conversation) to the ones paying heed, is where we try to draw your attention to things that matter and the importance of your attention, because, ‘Our life’s experience would ultimately amount to whatever we had paid attention to’. Attention: is as fundamental as food; and we go blundering about, seeking ways to assuage the craving, instead of learning how to provide ourselves with what we need, sensibly and calmly. Once our attention is drawn to the mechanism of why and what we give attention to, it is as if a veil has been stripped off and we become freer in our action and choices. And that is our endavour. This week I bring to your attention an excerpt titled – ‘Ways to Think About Economy in the 21st Century’, which is from the book titled – ‘Doughnut Economics’ – Seven Ways to Think like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth, she is an economist whose research focuses on the social and ecological challenges of the 21st century. She is a Senior Visiting Research Associate at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute, and a Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. Ways to Think About Economy in the 21st Century “What if we started economics not with its long-established theories, but with humanity’s long-term goals, and then sought out the economic thinking that would enable us to achieve them?” The author uses a doughnut to illustrate this. The essence of the doughnut is a social foundation of well-being that no one should fall below, and an ecological ceiling of planetary pressure that we should not go beyond. Between the two lies a safe and just space for all. Economy is a dynamic network with myriads of interconnections and feedback loops, many of them in the insubstantial realm of ideas. We must recognize this dynamic complexity and design economic systems which are naturally regenerative. Moreover, that we must change our attitude to growth so as to avoid over-exploitation, while encouraging evolution where it is needed. Excerpt from ‘Doughnut Economics’ – Seven Ways to Think like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth. I am sure that you will enjoy reading the book and find it thought provoking too; to read a detailed review and buy your copy, you can click on the following link: https://humanjourney.us/economy/doughnut-economics Enjoy reading it with your family, friends and near and dear one’s. Namaste.