event

23rd Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures

The Commons: Rights and Responsibilities


Thomas Berry, Peter Barnes, and Andrew Kimbrell spoke at the Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures on October 25, 2003 at the First Congregational Church of Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Passionist priest and cultural historian Thomas Berry reminded us that we are a part of a common universe in which every being has the right to fulfill its destiny and the right to joy.

Author Peter Barnes defined the commons as “the sum of all we inherit together and must pass on, undiminished and more or less equally, to our heirs.”

Attorney and author Andrew Kimbrell questioned what would it look like if our economics were based on the laws of nature, rather than the fabricated laws of supply and demand.

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Related Lectures

Capitalism, the Commons, and Divine Right
Every Being Has Rights
Salmon Economics (and other lessons)

Event Speakers

Thomas Berry

Thomas Berry (1914-2009) was a Passionist priest, cultural historian, philosopher, and self-described “geologian.” He was also a kind and gentle human being deeply concerned with the relation of the human world to the natural world. Having been ordained in 1942, he began studying cultural history, especially the world’s religions, and then received his doctorate from Catholic University … Continued

Peter Barnes

Peter Barnes is an entrepreneur and writer who has co-founded and led several successful businesses and written numerous articles and books about capitalism, the commons and other topics.  His latest book, With Liberty and Dividends for All: How to Save Our Middle Class When Jobs Don’t Pay Enough, proposes universal dividends from shared wealth as … Continued

Andrew Kimbrell

Andrew Kimbrell is an attorney and author. He also holds a graduate degree in psychology. For many years he was policy director of the Foundation on Economic Trends. Currently he is Executive Director of both the International Center for Technology Assessment (ICTA), which he founded in 1994, and the Center for Food Safety, which he founded … Continued