“The foundation of capitalism is the belief that nature exists to be owned, consumed, and sold, that life itself is a market, and value begins only when something can be priced.” —  Resourceism: A Philosophy for a Living Planet The Great Misunderstanding Every civilization tells a story about its relationship to the world that sustains it. Ours tells a story of ownership. We speak of “natural resources,” “real estate,” and “property rights,” as though the earth were a ledger and life itself a transaction. What began as a system of exchange became a theology of control. The foundation of capitalism is not innovation or freedom. It is the belief that the living world exists to be owned, consumed, and sold. This belief is so deeply woven into our language that few recognize it as ideology. To the capitalist mind, the river is not a river; it is water rights. The tree is not a being; it is board feet. The cow is not life; it is beef. This is the great misunderstanding of our age...