Introduction

We are entering an era characterized by new social and economic forms beyond our understanding. In this introduction to Co-Designing Economies in Transition, we introduce the transdisciplinary vision intended to understand such changes, and we summarize each of the chapters that help map the Great Transition that is already underway. In particular, we explain why it is important to create dialogue between radical knowledge-practices and contemplative social sciences to meet the great challenges of the twenty-first century. As a new emerging paradigm, contemplative social sciences are based on systematic efforts to integrate the wisdom traditions with the social sciences. They are intended to help us develop a more open-minded approach to understanding social interactions within a participatory, but not pre-classificatory, scheme. As such, we contend that the transdisciplinary vision and methodologies offered by this book suggest avenues for new ways of thinking about and co-designing a socially just and sustainable future.