From Economy to Oeconomy

We should now be convinced of the need for a radical change in the systems of thought and the institutional arrangements upon which production and exchange are currently based. We have identified several forks in the road that could serve as new starting points, a few emerging trends that could be followed, and a number of intuitions that could be deepened. We see, in

short, a broad range of insights and ideas. By deconstructing false assumptions, we have discovered an abundance of material out of which a new outlook can be built. What we are still missing, however, are the blueprints and tools necessary in order to start rebuilding. What will we build? How? And with whom? This is what I now propose to explore. I will do so first by

defining our ultimate goal and coining a new word to name it: oeconomy. Next, I will explain why bifurcations occur in systems that are congenitally opposed to change. This will lead me, in third place, to propose that we think of strategies for change in terms of their actors, the level at

which they occur, the stages they go through. This will provide clues to finding partners in the collective task of rebuilding.