Riane Eisler on her book "The Real Wealth of Nations"

The Hippy Gourmet is proud to feature the world renowned author Riane Eisler in an interview we filmed at the recent GreenFestival in Washington, DC.

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[haritoma]

Doesn't liberal mean freedom and socialist mean theft of freedom?

In a socialist government, the government puts a gun to your head and steals your hard earned money for the excuse of helping those less fortunate or whatever, and in the process the government gets greedy and the less fortunate never see the money and nor do you. Socialism is an excuse for the government to steal. Liberty is the right to be free, to keep ALL of your own hard earned profits for yourself.

[Eayne]

LIBERTARIAN SOCIALISM! VIVA LA REV!

[Valerian1]

I'm sorry, what exactly are you having difficulty understanding? In one case, business and community are directed by people who stand more-or-less outside of these institutions, benefiting off of them parasitically. In the other case, these institutions are directed by the people who depend on their success for their own livelihood. People whose lives (as opposed to expendable incomes) are invested. One system is based on competition and exploitation, the other on co-operation. Make sense?

[stealthswimmer]

exactly. That's what I don't get about folks who call themselves libertarian socialists. I trust markets to take care of most things better than coercive institutions.

[Xtro2005]

Libertarian Socialism is an oxymoron. Here's what Wikipedia says about it: "... equality and freedom would be achieved through the abolition of authoritarian institutions that own and control productive means..." and later continues with "libertarian socialists place their hopes in trade unions, workers' councils, municipalities, citizens' assemblies, and other non-bureaucratic, decentralized means of action". Rofl, in short creating exactly what it claims to destroy.

[dilemmix]

Excellent ideas, I really like the idea of a caring society and agree that there are problems with both socialism and liberalism.

I used to think that I was a libertarian socialist, but now I've looked at what Riane had to say, I think the 'caring economics' idea is potentially superior. I hadn't heard anyone use those terms before, very interesting.