#69: Dr. John Cobb Jr.: Celebrating 96 Years of Wisdom

The Economics of Well-Being

Dr. John Cobb Jr. turned 96. John has led a remarkably long and good life. Born in Kobe, Japan and growing up in Hiroshima he moved back to the US (Georgia) in 1944 before the bombing of Hiroshima. John's love for Asian culture continues in his important work on advancing the ideas of an ecological civilization in Asia and in his home in Pomona, California. John is considered one of the world's foremost process theologians. Highly respected in China, Japan and South Korea for his wisdom and counsel on the notion of an ecological civilization, he was an inspiration to Mayor Park Won-soon of Seoul, South Korea. Both John and I were guests of Mayor Park in September 2019 where we explored the prospects of South Korea adopting the concept of an ecological civilization and my well-being economic governance ideas.

It's so important to have elders like John in one's life. I cherish his wise counsel and his encouragement.

He has been my mentor and encouraged me for many years to keep pursuing the truth about economics, money and well-being.

John was the inspiration behind the Genuine Progress Indicator and the Index for Sustainable Economic Welfare which was developed along with ecologist Dr. Herman Daly, published in their seminal book on sustainability called For the Common Good (1987).

Both John and Herman have inspired my own pursuit of an alternative economics based on well-being and happiness.

I first met John (and his son Cliff Cobb) in 1999 while working on the US Genuine Progress Indicator with the US economic think-tank Redefining Progress.

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