return to top page The Natural Economic Order
a CESC course
1995
IntroductionIn the sixth and last issue of 1994, 'Fourth World Review No.66' published a 1000-word letter from Peter Etherden & Anton Pinschof which carried the following quotation from the German economist, Silvio Gesell:
'The only real security of the German mark would be the monetary education of a sufficient number of men who, in the event of legislation affecting monetary standards, would form a bodyguard, so to speak, to protect the mark from bunglers and swindlers.
But at present this security does not exist, for the indifference of the general public, of science, of the press, of business men, to monetary theory is so great that it would be difficult to collect among the millions of the German population a dozen persons for a serious discussion of the subject.'
The letter then continued:
'Well, it is no easier today a century later. But LETS will shortly be in urgent need of such a bodyguard and our work is aimed at responding to Gesell's challenge, beginning with a course in English, French & German on 'Money As It Is' and 'Money As It Should Be', the titles of Parts III & IV of 'The Natural Economic Order'.
What Proudhon and Kropotkin began, and Gesell, Borsodi and Kohr continued, we would like to see made intellectually respectable amidst the crumbling dynasties of Marxian and Keynsian monetary dictatorships.
This will mean expanding the LETS idea from a work barter system into a monetary system, authorised by our own association of small 'Fourth World' nation states and enabled by a LETS-based tradition of really free local market economy.'
Peter Etherden and Anton Pinschof met for two days in July 1995 and agreed to go ahead with a CESC correspondence course on 'The Natural Economic Order' with Peter Etherden as the tutor and Anton Pinschoff as the CESC Academy's first student. The proposed course curriculum was as follows:
Course Topics
Part I: Background readings from Ruskin, Kropotkin and Tolstoy and an account of money & banks in 19th century America
Part II: Readings and commentaries on the five sections of Silvio Gesell's 'The Natural Economic Order'
Part III: Learning presentation skills on self-selected topic; academy-style small group discussions; creative writing programmeThe course structure is designed to allow for the later development of a lecture series for single-term college courses in the UK, USA & Sweden. Eventually 60-minute audio-tape lectures will accompany each of the nine required readings (750 pages) for the course. In summary these are:
1. Ruskin Unto This Last 100 pages 2. Kropotkin Fields & Workshops 100 pages 3. Tolstoy Inquiry Into Money 50 pages 4. Angell Money in 19th Century America 50 pages 5. Gesell I Commentaries, Prefaces & Distribution 100 pages 6. Gesell II Free Land 50 pages 7. Gesell III Money As It Is 125 pages 8. Gesell IV Free Money or Money As It Should Be 100 pages 9. Gesell V The Free Money Theory of Interest 75 pages 10. Conclusion Individual Student Presentations 60 mins 11. Internalise Academy Discussions Long Weekend 12. Externalise Philosophical Players One Act Play The third part of the course is designed for subsequent development into a UK Open University-style residential weekend.
Development of video-conferencing and Internet-style discussion groups will be encouraged and individual presentations will be used to teach presentation skills.
The Creative Writing sessions are for students to create a dialogue-play in the J.B.Priestley 'Topside' style for school radio or open university TV production or for local village hall stage performance.
Students requiring college credits would be supervised in the production of essays and articles. Academic theses would be set up as collaborative endeavours between the student, the CESC and the accrediting college.
Peter Etherden, CESC Tutor, Custom House, Rye, Sussex, England TN31 7JE
Tel: +441797 226397; Fax: +441797 224834; e-mail: +100433,21168/95
Copies Of This Document May Be Obtained From 26 The High Street, Purton, Wiltshire SN5 4AE, UK
Tel: 01793 77 22 14 Fax: 01793 77 25 21
e-mail: john.papworth@btinternet.com
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