The Invisible Hand in the Wilderness: Economics, Ecology, and God

Most environmental theologians focus their efforts on inspiring a love for the natural world. They seek out metaphors and images from the world’s scriptures to create an ethical revolution so that people will begin to passionately care for the earth. This book claims that environmental degradation does not arise out of a blind rage against nature but rather from complex symbol systems that evolved to meet changing technological, ecological, and demographic realities. Economics as it is taught to undergraduates, business students, and law students is not a value-free, neutral tool but carries with it assumptions and a particular picture of the world. This book brings together insights from three fields: economics, ecology, and theology in order to construct a more healthy and productive picture of human wellbeing. Economic ideas have a theological history that needs to be addressed if we are to begin healing the world.