Arne Næss symposium 2023 Part 1 Capitalism, ecological breakdown, class struggle in the 21st century

Featuring Jason Hickel, the 2023 Arne Næss Professor. The Symposium was held at the University of Oslo on September 13, 2023. Programme: www.sum.uio.no...

[@voidisyinyangvoidisyinyang885]

I read Arne Naess deep ecology in the early 90s when I was doing my undergraduate at UW-Madison. Actually I think I started it at Hampshire college in 1989-90. thanks

[@life42theuniverse]

I am glad you have heard my words. I am afraid of the coming impact. -Matthew

[@celestialteapot309]

Anthropocene is the right word and humans are in overshoot, {William R Rees}

[@AudioPervert1]

why does the person have to play flute, that too with recorded birds and not real ones chirping. I mean how cool is Norway. However, Thanks for the lecture and symposium. Kudos to
Jason Hickel.

[@musiqtee]

Good & necessary points, but as a Norwegian - this hopeful imaginary externalises financialisation. The trancendent ownership of “nominal values” making up a non-productive and growing (!) sector of every global north economy. Especially in rich Norway.
It’s like a foggy mirror of Marx’s focus on “ownership of means of production”, as financial means only produce _more_ financial intangibles as capital. We have legislated these intangibles into commodities - commodities that can’t even be “consumed”, as they are legal and social constructs of no material existence - like a depreciating (value loss) building going up in price.
However, financial instruments and transactions themselves consume vast amounts of energy.
That “math” can’t add up ecologically or socially whether you vote “blue or red” - can it? 🤓

[@anthonymorris5084]

Capitalism has nothing to do with ecological breakdown. Consumption is the issue, and it doesn't matter what economic system you embrace, consumption doesn't just magically disappear. Unless of course your idea of solving this problem is depravation. But heck, just blame capitalism for everything.

[@JayFortran]

Planned, cooperative economies would reduce redundancy, consumerism, and waste

[@anthonymorris5084]

@@JayFortran Why? Because you say so? They've never succeeded at this before. How does this reduce consumerism? Why would the consumer buy something that's wasteful or redundant?
Planned by who? Bureaucrats? Who defines and decides what's redundant, and wasteful? The 3 wise men? Is the device you're using to post right now wasteful or redundant? Isn't this subjective?
My friend the free market successfully tackles all of these issues because of the profit model. The only way to even earn a profit is to successfully provide humanity with what it wants, needs and demands. Failure to achieve this and no profit will be realized. This eliminates waste and redundancies.
A business that's wasteful and producing goods and services that people don't want will go out of business. Profits in fact are directly related to the success of the product. If people hate Apple products or Amazon and thought they were wasteful, these two enterprises wouldn't exist. Why do people line up for Apple products?
The only way to prevent, slow, or end consumerism is through depravation. Stop creating what people want, need and demand and they will stop consuming. Why anybody would make this a goal is beyond comprehension. Sorry for the length. Cheers.

[@leonstenutz6003]

Brilliant analysis. Deep, scientific, imposible to refute.

[@anthonymorris5084]

@@leonstenutz6003 Thanks, keep up the fight.

[@radscorpion8]

Let's test if they work first, planned economies don't have a great track record

[@AudioPervert1]

He is clever to not speak of POPULATION OVERSHOOT even once?