ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how the Consolation provides a foundation to rethink the economy on the basis of oikos as the home of the soul. The nature of the human being is discussed in terms of the link between human nature, Nature, and Divinity. Nature is seen as a model that provides natural law and guidance on basic needs. The Good provides the motive for action along a pathway of goodness, where the Good is an end in itself. Virtues support this while providing orientation on the pathway. True wealth is presented as inner rather than outer, as wisdom and awareness of the status of being ‘made in the image of God’. Happiness, or the Good as self-sufficiency, can be sought along false paths. These include the desire for outer riches, power, honourable position, fame, and pleasure. Consideration is given to the unity of life and the importance of the whole informing the part. Fruition is openness to the transcendental, and Providence is self-sufficiency in the oikos. This is a stark contrast to modern economics’ subjection to the ‘Wheel of Fortune’. The nature of knowledge is discussed in relation to the whole and the part, and the status of evil within the whole. The poverty of hoarding is countered by the energizing nature of spirit, and the importance of the contribution of love is emphasized. The oikos is presented as a circling home.
