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The Future Is Degrowth

A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism

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The Future Is Degrowth

By: Matthias Schmelzer, Andrea Vetter, Aaron Vansintjan
Narrated by: Ulf Bjorklund
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About this listen

Economic growth isn't working, and it cannot be made to work. Offering a counter-history of how economic growth emerged in the context of colonialism, fossil-fueled industrialization, and capitalist modernity, The Future Is Degrowth argues that the ideology of growth conceals the rising inequalities and ecological destructions associated with capitalism, and points to desirable alternatives to it.

Not only in society at large, but also on the left, we are held captive by the hegemony of growth. Even proposals for emancipatory Green New Deals or postcapitalism base their utopian hopes on the development of productive forces, on redistributing the fruits of economic growth and technological progress. Yet growing evidence shows that continued economic growth cannot be made compatible with sustaining life and is not necessary for a good life for all.

This book provides a vision for postcapitalism beyond growth. It discusses the political economy and the politics of a non-growing economy. It charts a path forward through policies that democratize the economy, "now-topias" that create free spaces for experimentation, and counter-hegemonic movements that make it possible to break with the logic of growth. Degrowth perspectives offer a way to step off the treadmill of an alienating, expansionist, and hierarchical system.

©2022 Matthias Schmelzer, Andrea Vetter, and Aaron Vansintjan (P)2023 Tantor
Political Science Politics & Government Capitalism Socialism
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This book raises important questions about whether endless growth and consumption should really be society’s main goals, and I’m glad I listened to it. It definitely made me reflect while listening.

That said, I kept waiting for practical, grassroots ways ordinary people could engage with degrowth. When suggestions did come, they often feel unrealistic for anyone with a family, kids, a job, and everyday commitments. The barrier to entry just felt too high.

Interestingly, this book pushed me to think that practices like Buddhism might offer a more practical path to similar goals. By focusing on contentment and the idea of “enough,” it reduces consumption in a way that feels achievable in real life. Having practised Buddhism for just over a year, I’ve found it far more accessible than the solutions outlined here.

What this made me realise is that Buddhism doesn’t just align with degrowth — it actually helps cultivate the desire for it. By working with craving, contentment, and the idea of “enough,” it changes what people want in the first place. That feels like what’s missing here. Without that inner shift, degrowth risks asking people to give things up without offering a motivation people can genuinely feel.

This book raises important questions

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