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Dr. Peter Bowman was Science Coordinator on the University Preparatory Certificate at University College London (UCL), tutor
and head of economics at the School of Economic Science, and a GCGI Senior Ambassador.-Photo: UCL
I received the sad news that my dear friend, Dr. Peter Bowman, an outstanding scientist, teacher and educator, had been taken by COVID-19 in the prime of his life.
Peter was diagnosed with an advanced stage of cancer and started chemotherapy at the end of March. Unfortunately, he also contracted the coronavirus and passed away on the 17 April 2020.
Peter joined (UCL) in October 2005 as a Senior Teaching Fellow for Chemistry on the Undergraduate Preparatory Certificate for Science and Engineering (UPCSE). Later, Peter coordinated the science team and became admissions tutor for the UPCSE.
As noted by his colleague, Dr Christine Hoffmann, Director, UCL Centre for Languages & International Education: ‘In his fifteen years with us, Peter made a difference in every area of CLIE and UCL in which he was involved. His dedication to education and teaching was exemplary. Students very often praised his innovative teaching and his commitment to Chemistry. He led our UPCSE science team in a calm, diplomatic and open manner for which all of us knew him so well. With our marketing team, Peter represented CLIE and the UPCSE around the world on many recruitment and marketing trips. He shaped the life of many young international scholars when sharing our educational visions with them at school visits and when testing UPC applicants.’
In 2019 Peter in recognition of his contributions to teaching, supervision, assessment and support of students’ learning was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) with UCL Arena Open.
Social & Economic Justice was Peter’s passion and commitment. Speaking in this ten-minute video Changing Paradigms in Economics: Economics as Relationships, where Peter emphasises that a paradigm shift in economics is well overdue, and the way we deal with money, employment and consumer goods as well as the way the market place operates all is in need of a paradigm shift if things are to improve.
Peter argued for a just economy, which he believed is about relationships in society and how we treat others fairly. 'Justice prevails in an economy that is based on honesty; trust’ loyalty; a sense of service and satisfaction,' Peter noted.
Peter gave the 2015 School of Economic Science Annual Economics Lecture How can the economy work for the benefit of all? The lecture asks how the economy can work for the benefit of all and gives some simple, but timeless propositions.
Peter followed this with his 2016 Lecture Economics for the real world, where he asked some pertinent questions and offered possible solutions to build a better, fairer and kinder world.
I first met Peter at our first GCGI Joint Conference with (SES), which was held at Waterperry House, in September 2012, where he presented an excellent lecture on the theme of: ‘The Path to a just free market economy’.
Given our shared academic and research interests, our commitment to economic and social justice, and our struggles to take steps in the interest of the common good, it was no surprise that we went on to become very good friends.
Peter was instrumental in the close and fruitful relationship that the GCGI formed with the SES, which resulted in four major international Joint Conferences (2012, Waterperry House {WPH}), (2014, WPH), (2016, WPH) and (2018, LUCCA).
Peter also on many different occasions invited me to deliver lectures on different aspects of economic and social justice, as well as the globalisation for the common good at School of Economic Science in London and Leicster, he chaired and moderated the gatherings, which I recall very fondly.
RIP my friend Peter and thank you for the generosity and kindness in friendship, as well as the wonderful times we had in dialoguing and conversing together.
I can only say I have lost a good friend and comrade. I am praying in my own way for my friend, may God grant Peter eternal rest; he was, in the old idiom, a lovely man, who, if required, may still be a peacemaker in heaven.
My wife, Annie, joins me, and together we send our condolences to Peter’s wife, Angela and family.
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Our society has lost the instinct for kindness- Julia Unwin*
Julia Unwin CBE, Chief Executive of JRF and JRHT from 2007 to 2016.-Photo:The York Press
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation today (11 June 2009) publishes Contemporary Social Evils, which argues that a dangerous erosion of trust and culture of fear now pervades our society. Here foundation head Julia Unwin looks at how we can reclaim our values
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation says people are fed up with the status quo and are hungry for change.
Illustration: Louis Hellman, Via The Guardian
…’As a society, we appear to have lost the instinct for kindness and the willingness to extend the hand of friendship. Our responses to children, to older people, to strangers, are all conditioned by a concern not to offend and a fear of getting involved.
What does it mean to be kind? What is Kindness?
Today is World Kindness Day: Embracing Kindness to Defeat the Political Economy of Hatred
Our recent public consultation into the social evils of today highlights a real concern for the way in which society increasingly values people for their economic contribution, at the expense of kindness and compassion.
Mr Trump, we are not what we earn!
Memento mori, Memento vivere and the Madness of Black Friday
Some blame the nature of regulation – while providing protection for some, it seems to have intimidated the majority. Others feel there has been a general decline in values: individual advancement is seen as more significant than the ability to care for others.
The Value of Values: Why Values Matter
Crisis in Trust and Perpetual Global Crisis
Can Capitalism Survive Without Trust and Regulation?
Whatever the reasons, we are uncomfortable with the society we have created. The idea of the common good has been lost and Britain today is experiencing a severe social recession – the effects of which are far more devastating and long-lasting than any economic recession.
Why Love, Trust, Respect and Gratitude Trumps Economics: Together for the Common Good
Can there ever be a Compassionate Capitalism?
Why is Trust so Vital to Who we are and How we live our lives?
There is, however, light at the end of this very dark tunnel. Our study has shown that the people are fed up with the status quo and are hungry for change.
So, how can we go about making the changes we need?
We need to rediscover humanity in our communities. Solidarity is a term little used today. Yet across the country, people are taking on the challenge of climate change by working together to reduce their carbon footprints through recycling and growing and selling local produce. The same is true of those who help people in need, or who volunteer in hospitals and schools to make sure people in our communities are cared for and nurtured.
"In Search of the Virtuous Economy: A Plea for Dialogue, Wisdom, and the Common Good"
Ten Steps to Build a Better World
From allotment societies to arts centres, conservation groups to internet cafes, housing co-operatives to car clubs, civic society is showing itself to be adaptive and resilient. It is demonstrating that solidarity is a product of a more serious, more engaged political discourse that is willing and able to respond to the challenges of the 21st century.
Have We lost the Art of Knowing What it Means to Be Human?
In Praise of Generosity, Compassion and Kindness: Lessons of London 2012
Closely associated with this is the notion of hospitality, and the desire to create a world that is genuinely hospitable. A hospitable world is one that is a good steward of the earth, able to ration in the interests of generosity, not plunder in the pursuit of greed. It is a world in which the stranger is welcomed, the weak are supported and the dispossessed are empowered.
We need to come together to stop the plunder of the commons
Do you have an eye for justice and sense of duty? Then, these questions are for you.
The Age Of Perpetual Crisis: What are we to do in a world seemingly spinning out of our control?
Interfaith Spiritual Music to Heal the World, GCGI 1st Conference, Oxford 2002
And finally there is civility. The generosity of spirit which allows for kindness, and politeness, that embraces difference without fear, and that genuinely sees an equality between people. Civility is at the core of an active, vibrant and welcoming society.
Without fear of being nostalgic, it is time to reclaim these values – the future of our society depends on them.’
- Julia Unwin is chief executive (2009) of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
*This article was first published in The Guardian on 11 June 2009
Contemporary social evils
JOSEPH ROWNTREE FOUNDATION
Distributed for Bristol University Press
‘Which underlying problems pose the greatest threat to British society in the 21st century? A hundred years after its philanthropist founder identified poverty, alcohol, drugs and gambling among the social evils of his time, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation initiated a major consultation among leading thinkers, activists and commentators, as well as the wider public. The findings have now been brought together in this fascinating book.Individual contributors range across the political spectrum but the book also reports the results from a web survey and consultation with groups whose voices are less often heard. The results suggest that while some evils - like poverty - endure as undisputed causes of social harm, more recent sources of social misery, such as an alleged rise in selfish consumerism and a perceived decline in personal responsibility and family commitment, attract controversy.’
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Prince Charles: ‘Coronavirus pandemic is a chance to reset the economy.’
Photo: Daily Mail
Executive Summary
‘Prince Charles made an impassioned speech at the World Economic Forum's virtual meeting yesterday, where he stressed the importance of using the outcome of the pandemic to reset the global economy. The royal spoke about the need to prioritise sustainable development without damaging the environment.
"We have a unique but rapidly shrinking window of opportunity to learn lessons and reset ourselves on a more sustainable path," he said, according to The Guardian. "We have a golden opportunity to seize something good from this crisis. Its unprecedented shockwaves may well make people more receptive to big visions of change."
Charles' speech was part of the launch for The Great Reset, a project involving the World Economic Forum and the Prince of Wales’s Sustainable Markets Initiative, which hopes to rebuild the economic and social system to be more sustainable.
The royal then set out a five-point plan of how to seize this opportunity which involved capturing the imagination and will of humanity, rebalancing investments to accelerate the green economy and redesigning systems and pathways to enforce carbon pricing.’
Pandemic is a chance to reset the global economy, says Prince Charles*
Prince of Wales unveils a five-point plan to stimulate sustainable economic growth- A report by Phillip Inman, economics editor of the Observer and an economics writer for the Guardian
‘The recovery from the coronavirus crisis represents an opportunity to reset the global economy and prioritise sustainable development without further damaging the planet, Prince Charles said at the opening of a World Economic Forum (WEF) virtual meeting.
Outlining a five-point plan to rebuild economies following a global recession, the 71-year-old prince said the pandemic was the result of a breakdown in the link between humanity and nature that could be corrected by recognising “the interdependence of all living things”.
The prince emphasised that the private sector would be the engine of recovery and was heartened by the pledges from business leaders to recognise the damage to the environment that would result from an unfettered dash for growth.
“We have a unique but rapidly shrinking window of opportunity to learn lessons and reset ourselves on a more sustainable path,” said Charles, who himself has recovered after suffering mild symptoms of Covid-19.
He said that the pandemic, which has forced governments worldwide to mothball their economies, had showed people that dramatic change was possible.
“We have a golden opportunity to seize something good from this crisis. Its unprecedented shockwaves may well make people more receptive to big visions of change,” he added.
The five points he outlined were:
- To capture the imagination and will of humanity – change will only happen if people really want it.
- The economic recovery must put the world on the path to sustainable employment, livelihoods and growth. Longstanding incentive structures that have had perverse effects on our planetary environment and nature herself must be reinvented
- Systems and pathways must be redesigned to advance net zero transitions globally. Carbon pricing can provide a critical pathway to a sustainable market.
- Science, technology and innovation need re-invigorating. Humanity is on the verge of catalytic breakthroughs that will alter our view of what is possible and profitable in the framework of a sustainable future.
- Investment must be rebalanced. Accelerating green investments can offer job opportunities in green energy, the circular and bio-economy, eco-tourism and green public infrastructure.
The WEF, which stages an influential annual gathering of business and political leaders at its annual meeting in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, has come under fire from anti-poverty groups in recent years for failing to tackle climate change and executive pay.
Charles’s speech was part of a launch event for The Great Reset, a project involving the WEF and the Prince of Wales’s Sustainable Markets Initiative, aimed at rebuilding the economic and social system to be more sustainable.’
Great Reset | Prince Charles | ‘Coronavirus pandemic is a chance to reset the economy.’: Watch the Video
…...
Speaking at the same event, International Monetary Fund boss Kristalina Georgieva said the world economy faced a similar situation to the UK in the second world war. She urged global leaders to recognise the success of the 1942 Beveridge report, which put forward reforms to raise welfare and health standards across Britain, and was ready to be implemented when the war was over.
“The best memorial we can build to those who have lost their lives is a greener, smarter, fairer world.”
Photo: YouTube
“That led to a better country after the war and to a National Health Service that is saving so many lives today. We have to use all the strength we have to turn a page and have history be about the Great Reset and not the Great Reversal.” She added: “The best memorial we can build to those who have lost their lives is a greener, smarter, fairer world.”
Great Reset | Kristalina Georgieva | How will history judge this moment?: Watch the Video
…...
Conclusion
All said and done, I must admit, I was delighted to hear what Prince Charles or indeed, Kristalina Georgieva had to say about how we may reset the post-COVID-19 global economy.
However, to my mind, a very long-term academic-activist, nothing will change for the better and we will not succeed in building a better, kinder and more just world, if we do not take the following three steps first and foremost:
To reverse the current inhumane, unfair and unjust path we need a different model of education and we need a different economic value and economy. However, these are not possible to achieve so long as The Fraudulent Ideology reins supreme. Full stop. Carpe Diem!
And now a bit more from the GCGI Archives:
'We are an integral part of Nature, which we cherish, revere and preserve in all its magnificent beauty and diversity. We strive to live in harmony with
Nature locally and globally. We acknowledge the inherent value of all life, human and non-human, and treat all living beings with compassion and respect.'-Photo:bing.com
A Sure Path to build a Better World: How nature helps us feel good and do good
On the 250th Birthday of William Wordsworth Let Nature be our Wisest Teacher
The Sweetness of Being Human: ‘We have all of us one human heart.’
Dear Mr. Johnson, your Covid-19 survival must become a force for good
Kindness to Heal the World- Kindness to Make the World Great Again
The healing power of ‘Dawn’ at this time of coronavirus crisis
Can there ever be a Compassionate Capitalism?
- COVID-19, isolation, reflection, fear, hope, beauty and wisdom: “Feathers of Fire”
- Lockdown lawyers finding solace in poetry to deliver justice in times of COVID-19
- Is this the way to make America great again?
- A look at the biggest casualty of Boris Johnson’s COVID-19 Britain, without which life becomes meaningless
- The Tragedy of Health and Social Care Failings in our Privatised and Monetised World