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Abstract

Humanity in the 21^st Century faces a conundrum. We have escaped the bonds of earth’s gravity and left our footprints on the moon. We have created new agricultural and manufacturing techniques that can feed and clothe billions using a fraction of the labor once needed. We have connected every corner of the world via communications technologies, allowing us to share a wealth of knowledge and information, promote global commerce and exchange, and bring together diverse people and cultures in the marketplace of ideas.

Yet we peer into an abyss, largely of our own making: The scourge of war threatening to spread from countries to regions to the world . . . the horror of global terrorism and weapons of mass destruction . . . a plague of global epidemics from HIV/AIDs and malaria, to cancers and other illnesses born from a poisoned environment . . . the seemingly insurmountable gap in economic power and ownership between the rich and poor of nations, and between rich and poor nations. Millions left starving, homeless and with little hope for their futures.

Even within the richest and most powerful nations, the mass of people are feeling increasingly vulnerable to loss of jobs and income, and trapped by consumer debt. A vast majority of citizens have become powerless wage slaves, workers who are now merely disposable assets in the global economy.

At this crossroads in world civilization, we have to ask ourselves: Are we missing something? Is it time to rethink our paradigms, assumptions and systems? Are there fundamental principles that could guide us in restructuring the laws and institutions that govern our lives, to bring about peace, prosperity and a healthy environment for every person on the planet?

Our first hurdle is one of ideas. Today’s systems of capitalism and socialism, and their various permutations, share the same flaw. They all concentrate power and property in the hands of a few, whether in a private elite, or in the State and its bureaucratic elite. Even in so-called “democratic capitalist” systems, access to the ballot has no economic counterpart to empower the individual through equal access to the common good. Underlying this flaw is a moral omission: The present economic paradigms lack a defining principle of justice that is universal, inclusive and practical for guiding development in the Age of Super-Technology.

This paper explores the idea of the “Just Third Way,” a new paradigm of political economy centered around “Justice,” a universal value that is largely misunderstood in the modern world. The Just Third Way argues that all sovereignty within the social order should begin with each human person, not social institutions or any elite. Underlying its universal conception of justice is the dignity of every human person. In contrast to prevailing socio-economic systems, the Just Third Way defines specific principles of economic and social justice for restructuring laws and basic social institutions, particularly money and credit, so that power and property can be spread systematically to every human being.

For leaders, social architects and scholars, the Just Third Way provides a macro-economic theory called “binary economics” and a micro-economic system called “Justice-Based Management,” along with proven mechanisms of corporate finance and practical strategies, for addressing today’s most deep-rooted problems. Ultimately, the Just Third Way seeks to reconcile Nature and human nature, so that economic growth can be sustainable, life-enhancing and just for all people.

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