{"id":696,"date":"2026-08-17T19:30:24","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T19:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/?page_id=696"},"modified":"2026-08-18T19:36:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T19:36:58","slug":"natural-capitalism","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/home\/natural-capitalism\/","title":{"rendered":"A Philosopher&#8217;s Guide to Natural Capitalism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center alignwide has-xx-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A Sustainable Future Within Reach<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<main class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3a88641f wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Cover-Wayne-I.-Henry.jpg\" alt=\"Capitalism, History of capitalism, Mercantilism, Consumer Capitalism, Natural Capitalism, Globalization, Globalized Capitalism\" class=\"wp-image-487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Cover-Wayne-I.-Henry.jpg 600w, https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Cover-Wayne-I.-Henry-200x300.jpg 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/main>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-xx-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide has-small-font-size is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-794e3cfa wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-style-section-1 is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow is-style-section-1--1\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Preface:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why this book? And why now?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.1: Introduction:<\/strong> Overview and plan of the book<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The power of narratives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Central themes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some terminology clarified:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Feudalism<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mercantilism<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Capitalism<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-large-font-size\">Natural Capitalism, Biocentrism, and Biosphere Consciousness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Markets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Classical Liberalism and Progressive Liberalism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The plan of the book<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Part I: Sustainability and Natural Capitalism:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.2: Genuine sustainability and what it will require of us<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How is \u201csustainability\u201d to be defined?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Political sustainability<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.3: Natural Capitalism: A hopeful alternative<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A new focus for productivity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The four principles of <em>Natural Capitalism<\/em>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>First principle: maximize resource productivity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Second principle: biomimicry \u2013 closed-loop systems<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Third principle: cradle to cradle &#8211; a new business model<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fourth principle: restoring natural capital<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Concluding remarks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.4: Natural Capitalism: The underlying narrative<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The infrastructural requirements of Natural Capitalism and the Third Industrial Revolution<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The character of the post-TIR world<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The narrative of sustainability:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Valuing nature in and of itself<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adopting biosphere consciousness as a fundamental moral attitude<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The role of humility and empathy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Collaboration (valuing cooperation over competition)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Valuing community (open communications, trust, and social capital)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The decentralization of political authority<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The democratization of energy and economic opportunity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritizing local adaptation and shared knowledge<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritizing human capital before industrial capital<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Taking a long-term perspective<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prioritizing access to services before private ownership<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why it all depends on us as individuals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Concluding remarks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Part II: Classical Liberalism: The Conceptual Foundations of Consumer Capitalism:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.5: John Locke and the Theory of Private Property<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Historical context and Locke\u2019s motives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The theory reconstructed<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some consequences of the theory:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Our labour is alienable<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We live in a meritocracy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The value of nature<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The doctrine of <em>Terra nullis and colonialism<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.6: Adam Smith and the Laissez-Faire Market<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Historical context and Smith\u2019s motives<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reconstructing Smith\u2019s theory<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some consequences of the theory:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Self-interest versus selfishness as a motive<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>De-regulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Privatization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lower taxes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-style-section-1 is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow is-style-section-1--2\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.7: Contrasting Visions: Classical vs. Progressive Liberalism and the Ideal State<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Robert Nozick: The <em>Night Watchman State<\/em>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stage 1: Leaving anarchy behind<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stage 2: Limits of the state<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>John Rawls: <em>Justice as Fairness<\/em>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stage 1: The principles of justice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stage 2: The original position<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The two views compared:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Joseph Stiglitz and the price of inequality<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Robert Putnam and social capital<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.8: Corporate Governance and the Limits of Corporate Responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Shareholder model (Milton Friedman)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Stakeholder model (R. Edward Freeman)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Summary and conclusions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Part III: Classical Liberalism Through a Normative Lens:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.9: Consequentialist Moral Theories<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Historical context and motivations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rule Utilitarianism\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Stage 1: The standard version of John Stuart Mill<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stage 2: Preference Utilitarianism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Why Preference Utilitarianism is such a good fit for Classical Liberalism:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It provides the justifications for Classical Liberal prescriptions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It gives moral content to the idea of \u201cMaking the world a better place\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It makes its prescriptions on the basis of a kind of Cost-Benefit accounting<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Re-evaluating the \u201cfit\u201d of Preference Utilitarianism for Classical Liberalism:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The absurdity of Human Rights<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The re-imagination of Justice<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Instrumentalizing our relations to others<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.10: Kantian Duty Theory and the Deontological Normative Tradition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kant\u2019s historical context and motivations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The theory reconstructed\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Categorical Imperative: the fundamental law in its first formulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Practical Imperative: the fundamental law in its second formulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Kingdom of Ends: The fundamental law in its third formulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The nature of our duties: Perfect vs. Imperfect duties and duties to others vs. duties to self<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Kantian Duty Theory and Classical Liberalism\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Agreement with Locke on the right to autonomy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Emphasizes our relationships to one another<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The problem of non-human animals<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Globalization and respect for others<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The problem of motives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Summary and conclusions<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>CH.11: Concluding remarks<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why the Green New Deal is not the old New Deal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sustainability will not look the same everywhere<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sizing up the alternatives\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Classical Liberalism: a worldview past its shelf life<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Biosphere Consciousness: a worldview for a sustainable future<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center alignwide has-xx-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">AVAILABLE AT ONE OF YOUR FAVOURITE BOOKSTORES:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons alignwide is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-f6117c10 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\" style=\"padding-right:0;padding-left:0\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Author-Flyer_-A-Philosophers-Guide-to-Natural-.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get 20% Off<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/a.co\/d\/0hYOFIZg\">Amazon<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/a-philosophers-guide-to-natural-capitalism-wayne-i-henry\/1142930914?ean=9781032483467\">Barnes &amp; Noble<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Sustainable Future Within Reach Table of Contents Preface: CH.1: Introduction: Overview and plan of the book Part I: Sustainability and Natural Capitalism: CH.2: Genuine sustainability and what it will require of us CH.3: Natural Capitalism: A hopeful alternative CH.4: Natural Capitalism: The underlying narrative Part II: Classical Liberalism: The Conceptual Foundations of Consumer Capitalism: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":690,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-no-title","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-696","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=696"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":765,"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/696\/revisions\/765"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/690"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wayne.dechantg.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}