There are certain things that we know are true. They are simply intuited by reasonable people and rarely need explanation. Lately, however, it feels as though this category of what we can call “obvious truths” is shrinking. Defending long-held positions is becoming increasingly necessary, and their defense often requires equal measures of logic and emotional appeal. When it comes to the economy, people often lose sight of the very real and dare I say “obvious” fact that economics are never purely abstract. After all, we are talking about real people, jobs, livelihood, and — to a deeper extent — the purpose of work, the provision for family, and the cultivation of culture. These truths are highlighted, explained, and cheerfully defended in Rory Groves’ Durable Trades: Family Centered Economics That Have Stood the Test of Time brought to us by the good people at Front Porch Republic, including a thoughtful foreword from Allan Carlson.  A work about which Wendell Berry said “Not every book is necessary — not by a long shot — but Durable Trades is necessary.” For some of our readers, Berry’s recommendation will make the review below superfluous; for the rest of our readers, please press on.

The word economy comes from the Greek word οικονομία (oikonomia) meaning the management of the hearth and home and the fruits produced when they are managed well. The original usage of the word indicated the connection between work, goods, trades, family, and the home from which work came, and for which purpose work was directed. The book, which was published last year as the pandemic began to wreak havoc, has a prescient and nearly prophetic voice, as is often the case when reminding people of forgotten truths. In the author’s note, Groves summarizes his thesis saying, “While the primary research of this book was completed over a year ago, the key tenets are proving true today: resilient nations rely on resilient communities, which rely on resilient families. Historically it has been decentralized, interdependent families and communities working together that have best weathered the storm of adversity. It will be the same today.”

The first three chapters point out the problems in our current “brittle” economic systems. Mr. Groves examines labor statistics which reveal the average person will have seven careers in one lifetime.  He builds off previous research into the inversion of the primary economic activities with ones that are more and more removed from the natural environment. He critiques the predominant visions of work as an end in itself, the limitations of large, centralized methods of production, and the practical challenges of a complex supply chain that can be easily disrupted by things such as  pandemics and container ships stuck in the Suez Canal.  Groves is honest but not astringent; he understands how we got ourselves into this mess and writes as a thoughtful convert, not a luddicious zealot. He assesses our current situation and asks, “is there a different way?” A way to work that builds up and contributes to the one “oikonomia” that matters most: the home and family — or as we like to say around here, the hearth and field. And is there a way to do this that simultaneously contributes to the common good and the full human flourishing?