ABSTRACT
When offering new ideas, it is proper form to give due credit to forerunners who made such steps conceivable, a difficult task when the idea draws from a wide net. For example, the indicator of sustainable economic welfare (ISEW), the predecessor of the genuine progress indicator (GPI), was such an innovative, all-encompassing idea-drawn from myriad texts on philosophy, religion, natural sciences, social justice, feminism, economics, environmentalism, and history. A compelling, original idea may also be influenced by the personal experiences, values, and beliefs of its author(s).
