Douglas, Gesell, and the Economic Ethics of Ezra Pound

Abstract

The poet Ezra Pound (1885-1972) was a moralist who regarded economics as key to understanding human society, and thereby to solve most social problems. He became a prolific writer of economic texts, in which he espoused the ideas of two economists: Major Clifford Douglas’ social credit and national dividend, and Silvio Gesell’s perishable currency. Pound’s economic thought reflects deep philosophical and moral roots. However, it is unfortunate that, of Pound’s economic lessons, the morally most compelling ones are also those less economically sound.