Posted by Kirsten Gibbs Last updated 23rd June 2020 reading time
Raphael, the explorer who describes Utopia to Thomas More and his friend, hasn’t only been to Utopia.
“To these things I would add that law among the Macarians – a people that live not far from Utopia – by which their king, on the day on which he began to reign , is ties to an oath, confirmed by solemn sacrifices, never to have at once above a thousand pounds of gold in his treasures, or so much silver as is equal to that in value.
This law, they tell us, was made by an excellent king who had more regard to the riches of his country than to his own wealth, and therefore provided against the heaping up of so much treasure as might impoverish the people. He thought that moderate sum might be sufficient for any accident … but that it was not enough to encourage a prince to invade other men’s rights. He also thought that it was a good provision for that free circulation of money so necessary for the course of commerce and exchange.”
This law is about re-distributing wealth to keep it circulating within an economy, which is where value is generated.
It could equally well apply to responsibility. Responsbility, distributed and circulated within a business, is able to generate more value than if hoarded at the top.
