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Less is More

How Degrowth Will Save the World

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Less is More

By: Jason Hickel
Narrated by: Ben Crystal, Clifford Samuel
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to its primary cause. Capitalism demands perpetual expansion, which is devastating the living world. There is only one solution that will lead to meaningful and immediate change: DEGROWTH.

If we want to have a shot at halting the crisis, we need to restore the balance. We need to change how we see nature and our place in it, shifting from a philosophy of domination and extraction to one that's rooted in reciprocity and regeneration. We need to evolve beyond the dogmas of capitalism to a new system that is fit for the twenty-first century. But what does such a society look like? What about jobs? What about health? What about progress?

This book tackles these questions and traces a clear pathway to a post-capitalist economy. An economy that's more just, more caring, and more fun. An economy that enables human flourishing while reversing ecological breakdown. An economy that will not only lift us out of our current crisis, but restore our sense of connection to a world that's brimming with life. By taking less, we can become more.

© Jason Hickel 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Economics Environment Science World Capitalism Socialism Economic disparity Taxation Economic Inequality

Critic Reviews

A powerfully disruptive book for disrupted times. Jason Hickel takes all we've been been told about growth and development and turns it inside out, offering instead a radically possible vision of a post-growth future. If you're looking for transformative ideas, this book is for you. (Kate Raworth, economist and author of Doughnut Economics)
A masterpiece pulling together the ecological disaster wake-up call from The Uninhabitable Earth, the economic enlightenment from Piketty's Capital, and the colonial history from Jason's own The Divide. Just ace. (David Heinemeier Hansson)
Eye-opening and passionate, Jason Hickel shows how the insatiable drive to increase GDP has caused the ecological crisis, reveals the historical and colonial roots of capitalism and argues that an ecologically sensitive economic based on 'degrowth' is essential for us to flourish.
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. So much needs to change; although beginning that change might require nothing more than asking the right question. (Danny Dorling, Professor of Geography, University of Oxford)
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. (Giorgos Kallis, Professor of Ecological Economics and author of Degrowth)
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. By extracting less we leave more for other species, other people and future generations, thus creating well-being for all. In an ecologically interconnected world, less is more. (Vandana Shiva, philosopher of physics and author of Making Peace with the Earth)
Jason Hickel takes us on a profound journey through the last 500 years of capitalism and into the current crisis of ecological collapse. He lays out how we can transition to a post-capitalist economy, but also reminds us that there are other ways of knowing and being that hold the secret to a better world. 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)
This riveting offering explores a world that has finally woken up to the reality of climate change and ecological collapse. Arguing that a change of thinking is desperately needed, he charts a path to a post-capitalist world and an economy that is more just, caring and fun.
All stars
Most relevant
Could not recommend this book highly enough.

The audio performance is excellent, making the content easy to engage with.

The content itself is outstanding, challenging, invigorating and intriguing. Some thought-provoking ideas in here about the history of capitalism, along with a great bridge towards our climate outlook and what needs to change in economic view to avoid disaster long term.

amazingly simple insight into a complex problem

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If you wonder what solutions our world needs in order to survive our current climate crisis, this is a great book for you.
If you are ready to debunk capitalism and the ideas that have led us into our current situation of injustice, inequality and ecological catastrophe, this is the book for you!

Excellent book

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This is such a thorough and well researched explanation for how we co created the climate disaster we are facing. It also offers some plausible and practical suggestions for how we might achieve a sustainable future. It is mandatory reading for anyone with a super fund and/or share portfolio as well as governments and policy makers.

Compelling Essential Reading

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I've spent quite a bit of time reading and learning about the technological advances and transitions necessary for sustained human and non-human life on the planet but the reframing of this topic in Less Is More was ground breaking in its clarity and very human approach to a very human problem. From the simple concept that growth in adfinitum is antithetical to ecological sustainability, this book laid a fantastic framework for new thinking on the way forward. If I were to have one criticism, it is simply my own personal nihilism that the necessary changes, as outlined, seem impossible in my lifetime with the philosophy of capitalism so deeply entrenched in western society. Maybe if more people read Less Is More we'd inch closer to our best possible future?

Gripping and necessary listening

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A great introduction to the degrowth movement which is gaining considerable momentum in the scientific community. Hickel provides persuasive arguments for the societal transformation needed to prevent an acceleration of the ongoing ecological disaster.

Insightful & Compelling

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