Ownership debates usually center on a choice between capitalism (private ownership) and socialism (government ownership). They largely avoid the foundational question: Is power shared and accountable to We the People—all the people? Similarly, discussions of individual rights, including rights of ownership, rarely note that all rights necessarily come with responsibilities.
The African Ubuntu Principle (“I […]
Economists claim their assessments are based on settled science. Yet the assumptions underlying their assessments are contradicted by both logic and real-world observation.
The Nobel Laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz suggests that economics, as currently taught and practiced, is less a science than “…the West’s prevailing religion.” Mainstream economists bear major responsibility for promoting what Pope Francis […]
(Commentary originally published by YES! Magazine, January 21, 2021)
Much has transpired to disrupt the political status quo since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris chose their campaign slogan “Build Back Better.” But the chaos and violence of former President Trump’s final days in office may help to open a deep […]
(Commentary originally published by YES! Magazine, November 11, 2020)
A few days ago, I participated in a webinar that introduced me to Paul Chappell, a thoughtful peace activist with an extraordinary history. Born in 1980, Chappell grew up in Alabama, the son of an immigrant Korean mother and a violent mixed-race father traumatized […]
This article was written, by invitation, for the FEZANA (Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America) Journal, Vol. 34, No. 3 Fall/September 2020.
Poverty is not a new issue and ending it is not a new cause. In his January 1949 inaugural address, President Harry Truman launched the U.S. foreign aid program, then called Point Four, […]
(Commentary originally published by YES! Magazine, October 23, 2020)
A few days ago, I shared with YES! Executive Editor Zenobia Jeffries Warfield an insight that felt both fresh and important: “I’m coming to the conclusion that the United States has never been a democracy.” This insight was sparked by my reflection on the […]
(Commentary originally published by YES! Magazine, July 30, 2020)
Our present course puts humans on track to be among the species that expire in Earth’s ongoing sixth mass extinction. In my conversations with thoughtful people, I am finding increasing acceptance of this horrific premise.
The COVID-19 pandemic, along with climate change, drives home […]
David was invited to contribute to the global discussion among experts and thought leaders from around the world for “Rearticulating the Concept of Human Development” – a collaborative project of the International Science Council and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He submitted this essay, May 13, 2020.
A […]
(Commentary originally published by YES! Magazine, April 23, 2020)
The COVID-19 emergency has exposed our societies’ failure to address the needs of billions of people. Simultaneously, we are witnessing a fundamental truth about human nature: There are those among us eager to exploit the suffering of others for personal gain. We can […]
(Commentary originally published by YES! Magazine, March 18, 2020)
The rapid spread of novel coronavirus has prompted government, business, and civil society to take dramatic action—canceling events large and small, restricting travel, and shutting down major segments of the economy on which nearly all of us depend. It is […]