I've just finished reading Jason Hickel's "Less is More: How degrowth will save the world." It's an urgent look at the process of taking less and the decolonization of lands, people, and our minds.
I highly recommend this book as must-read for everyone. Listen to the audio book if you're not a big reader. And if you totally know you're not going to do either of that, at least read this review (by Samuel Miller-McDonald) and short interview with Jason.
Here's a snippet from the interview:
"The power of degrowth is that it offers a critique, and an alternative path, that speaks to a broad range of movements. So, we can support the social-democratic vision of a Green New Deal, but point out that it cannot be achieved if we continue to pursue growth at the same time. If we want the Green New Deal to be feasible, just, and ecologically coherent, we should abandon growth as an objective and focus directly on social and ecological goals instead. Similarly, we can support the demands of Extinction Rebellion for rapid decarbonization, while offering a clear strategy for how this can be achieved in a just and equitable way.
What I like about degrowth is that it offers a critique of capitalism that makes sense to people who are not already anti-capitalist, because it gets to the nub of what capitalism is really about. Most people assume capitalism is about markets and trade; and what could possibly be wrong with that? But markets and trade were around for thousands of years prior to capitalism; what makes capitalism distinctive is that it is organized around, and dependent on, perpetual expansion, for the sake of elite accumulation. When you point this out to people they immediately recognize it as a problem, and start thinking about what a post-growth, post-capitalist society might look like. In other words, degrowth offers a kind of practical and relevant entry to post-capitalist thought." - Jason Hickel.
In a nut-shell, Jason's book argues for us to switch from the mindset of growthism to:
- de-enclosure of commons;
- de-commodification of public goods;
- de-intensification of work and life;
- de-thingification of humans and nature;
- de-escalation of ecological crisis.
From scarcity to abundance. From extraction to regeneration. From dominion to reciprocity. From loneliness and separation to connection to a world fizzing with life. Who wouldn't want that? The top 1%, of course. The rest of us, the 99%, can mobilize some powerful change once we realize we've been colonized ourselves.
English Title: Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World
Author: Jason Hickel
Published: 2021
Publisher: Windmill Books / Penguin Random House UK
From The Publisher
'A powerfully disruptive book for disrupted times ... If you're looking for transformative ideas, this book is for you.' KATE RAWORTH, economist and author of Doughnut Economics
A Financial Times Book of the Year
_____
Our planet is in trouble. But how can we reverse the current crisis and create a sustainable future? The answer is: DEGROWTH.
Less is More is the wake-up call we need. By shining a light on ecological breakdown and the system that's causing it, Hickel shows how we can bring our economy back into balance with the living world and build a thriving society for all. This is our chance to change course, but we must act now.
Praise For Less Is More
'A masterpiece... Less is More covers centuries and continents, spans academic disciplines, and connects contemporary and ancient events in a way which cannot be put down until it's finished.' DANNY DORLING, Professor of Geography, University of Oxford
'Jason is able to personalise the global and swarm the mind in the way that insects used to in abundance but soon shan't unless we are able to heed his beautifully rendered warning.' RUSSELL BRAND
'Jason Hickel shows that recovering the commons and decolonizing nature, cultures, and humanity are necessary conditions for hope of a common future in our common home.' VANDANA SHIVA, author of Making Peace With the Earth
'This is a book we have all been waiting for. Jason Hickel dispels ecomodernist fantasies of "green growth". Only degrowth can avoid climate breakdown. The facts are indisputable and they are in this book.' GIORGIS KALLIS, author of Degrowth
'Capitalism has robbed us of our ability to even imagine something different; Less is More gives us the ability to not only dream of another world, but also the tools by which we can make that vision real.' ASAD REHMAN, director of War on Want
'One of the most important books I have read ... does something extremely rare: it outlines a clear path to a sustainable future for all.' RAOUL MARTINEZ, author of Creating Freedom
'Jason Hickel takes us on a profound journey through the last 500 years of capitalism and into the current crisis of ecological collapse. Less is More is required reading for anyone interested in what it means to live in the Anthropocene, and what we can do about it.' ALNOOR LADHA, co-founder of The Rules
'Excellent analysis...This book explores not only the systemic flaws but the deeply cultural beliefs that need to be uprooted and replaced.' ADELE WALTON
Grab your copy at the Voyage Virage Book Store powered by Bookshop.org, supporting independent booksellers.
