With respect to how greatly I admire the voice and reason of Jason Hickel and Yanis Varoufakis - we don't need totalitarian leaders, like politicians and CEOs, we need to build a NEW SYSTEM that meets all needs, in an ecologically sound way, and locally democratic in every possible way. I would say the sound, logical IDEAS of those like Hickel and Varoufakis should lead us to the next economic evolution. Not that it wouldn't be great to have someone like Varoufakis the elected leader of Greece, but that's unlikely, so instead, we should build the better system itself. One Small Town through Contributionism is one way, Library Socialism or bringing back The Commons, is another, and what we see in "A Viable Society" talk by Zeitgeist film creator, Peter Joseph.
@@coolioso808 Saying someone should be at the helm of something is not calling for a "totalitarian leader". Even the most decentralised anarchist structures accept management/leadership of individuals who are recognised for their proficiency and experience in a certain role.
@@SvalbardSleeperDistrict good. Just clarifying. I agree, managers and leaders (not bosses of ultimate authority) are still needed for a healthy society. I would welcome more science-based approaches to social management, from Hickel, Raworth, Parrique, Mark Z Jacobson, Bookchin, Srsly Wrong Boys (Library Socialism) and more like that!
Seen Prof. Varoufakis with Prof. Hickel together, feels like two giants unite, forming a new bigger and better "Transformers" robot, fighting for Decolonization-Equality-Justice. So glad see you two "together"!
There are so many comments that could be made about this mesmerising conversation. The new story that will replace this one is already created and we must elect those who understand this conversation, deeply. The future is bright but only if there is a collective awakening into this new story..
I hope we don't fall for this idea that 'we must vote better' and that's all we can really do. I"m sorry, but that's not enough. Yes, go vote better for parties with policies that are pro-worker, pro-environment, anti-war and perhaps even anti-capitalist, but that is a hard sell for the general public if our economic problems on the ground are in dismay! People are more motivated by fear and that doesn't lead to logical conclusions all the time. We need to do what Buckminster Fuller said long ago: "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." We create change from the bottom-up, community level up, through a strategic organizational campaign that is built on cooperation, collaboration and co-ownership. Some organization that allows for local prosperity and abundance, within ecological limits, to be created, high levels of direct democracy and yet also collaborative across nations for ideas of best practice. Open source, in a way. For system change organizations, they are few and far between at this point. But it doesn't mean we can't develop them sooner than we think. One Small Town communities are popping up all over the world, cooperating and collaborating. Mutual Aid Networks are established in many cities and towns, and could advance more. Library Socialism is a very rational community building strategy that builds "ecological luxury", as Srsly Wrong Boys talked extensively about in their podcast, and it could be paired with an organization like Mutual Aid Networks to get off the ground even more!
I recently read Jason’s book Less is More out loud to my dad and it lead to some fruitful conversation. I especially love the chapters focused on the origins of capitalism and the Golden Age of of European Proletariat.
Universal basic income would help people to work fewer jobs, encourage a start up locally providing jobs. Fewer journeys, less stress. Trial of this shows encouraging growth in the local economy. Imho. Thank you
UBI can get sucked up by price hikes and thus doesn't necessarily provide a real benefit, regardless of the sum. Now UBS (Universal Basic Services) on the other hand tends towards guaranteed survival as it gets expanded.
@@TheJayman213 universal basic services as I see it now are not even basic since thatcher and Reagan axis. Ubi gives an opportunity of a basic life, if mandated, for those denied choice or voice in their lives. Power to the people. Cap greedy price rises and rents.
Wow I’m blown away by this. It seems like we are in sleep mode on what’s happening around us. You just made sense to my mind on what is happening in South Africa now. I just learnt so much.
I'm American and you'll get no argument out of me, sadly. Being half British has given me a more world view of matters for which I am very grateful. There are so many terribly ignorant people in America, it's maddening.
Rich people worldwide despise the poor. The great unwashed. Just throw an eye to Europe's "tiger", Romania, on how the rich here talk and think about the poor. Anyhow. Great debate, cannot tell for the life of me which of you I love most.
@@veredit We could easily get rid of all poverty in the world, but that would not fit the evil debt based slavery system. In France they had very little debt in 1970, and France had also very little unemployment back then. Today France has plenty of debt, unemployment and poverty. This is all by design! Bankster cartels have run the world for centuries. They also create the Great Resets which are world wars for depopulation and profits in which they steal everything of value from those targeted for death!
Wonderful podcast. That Trump quote was fascinating. Perhaps this is also the reason why Jordan Peterson reacts so hysterically to any ecological argument. He seems to equate capitalism and growing economies with humanity itself. In this perspective ecological activism is a war against humanity.
Oh wow. My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw this video. Can’t wait to dig in. I love Jason. You could also talk to Kate Raworth or Timothee Parrique too who are also geniuses when it comes to this topic.
The idea that essentials should be a right for all and not subject to markets is a huge shift in thinking for so many people and showing a vision of how this could be is going to be essential to help them make this seismic shift. Yanis's book and discussions such as this are a great start but there is so much more to do. I feel personally buoyed by this kind of discussion, evolving the picture of how we could live. Also, while I am no fan of set piece confrontational setups I was glad to see some disagreement in this episode as it only through questioning and offering alternative viewpoints that we will evolve a more workable picture. Many thanks.
great point here about the dystopia of wealth inequality in london 53:45 thank you for talking about this, please keep speaking for these people! we must oppose the capital owners, power to the people!
Thank you all for your intelligent and inclusive understanding of what we are seeing and experiencing across the world. This kind of thinking and constructive researched ideas gives me hope all is not lost.
With deep respect to all of you. Tackling huge problems of history, the world's economies, what happened, and where we are now. How may it be improved ? Thoughtful and educated insights here. One should read the short story by Tolstoy," How Much Land Does One Man Need." We need some humor with the dire situation our world faces today.
The first guy says universal health care is an achievable goal. The existing models would have to be completely dismantled first. The same goes for all of Western civilization. In the east, there are too many people. First comes the fall...
For humour about transition beyond a capitalist-based society, look to Lee Camp. Richard Wolff is also pretty good even though he's a professor not a comedian, but his critiques of ridiculous capitalism are so biting that they generate a laugh or two, as well as learning. For how we may improve? Take some cues from the late great, R. Buckminster Fuller: "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete." Let's build a new model, start at the community level. What ideas and tools do we have? Library Socialism is intriguing! Mutual Aid Networks is too. One Small Town based on Contributionism is very exciting in its development. More to come soon from TZM with the release of Zeitgeist: Requiem by Peter Joseph (trailer online now to see).
Would be amazing to have these conversations broadcast on mainstream media to enlighten the more traditional audiences OR do we need to wait for legacy media to dissolve with time ?
I’m very relieved/comforted/humbled by Yanis taking ecology into his insights of economy at large. This has probably been the one criticism I’ve had, but this is the mechanism of deliberative debate and democracy we ARE, and wish everyone to be part of forming! Our challenge (seen here in Norway) are how we narrate history itself towards a typical voter. E.g. I use the term “commodification of labour”, people under 45 have naturalised waged work - there’s no other possible sustenance. Those older get furious, because they _own_ capital - however indebted they are. I’d say “class consciousness”, and they run off and vote “far right” from pure fear… Mention Hegel or Marx just as “tools” for understanding (general dialectics), well… Education shut this out four decades ago, creating the above implications. What a power move back then. Well, point taken, I guess… Our organisation (the left in general) will need to “re-invent” not long standing facts/emiricism, but indeed how they can be _communicated_ today. I know this is ongoing, though. DiEM’er since 2020, Oslo Collective. Carpe Diem! 🔥
These quote from Trump resonates with my work as an animal rights activist. Last summer a fellow activist and myself were speaking to people at a ribfest about how bad animal agriculture is for the planet. One of the people who were part of the set up of the event said to me point blank that his grandchildren would have to clean up the mess that his generation was leaving behind like his generation had to do from his parents' generation. I was shocked and appalled. How could you be so hateful and willfully blind to the impact of your actions on your own offspring?? 💔💔😣😣
Well done everyone, so wonderful to hear accurate, balanced accounts of our situation & genuine discussions on what we urgently need to be doing to peacefully advance.
Professor Hickel nails the issue in the first 3 minutes. The reason that corporations have not moved towards renewables, is that they are far less profitable. This is surely justification for state ownership of energy production.
Thanks for a wonderful discussion. Jason is sublime! One concern is hearing Yanis naively suggest exploitation is not pre-meditated by ruling classes............. Wish Yanis would change his thinking here to allign authentically with the working classes.
AND the People and their LIFE should only have basic rights/rules/lows… however, Bussinesses should be highly regulated… Your talkes gives so MUCH hope for “we the People”… Thank you❤️❤️❤️
Great discussion. There is a fundamental competition between the modernized capitalist consumer-driven economy and the native subsistence eco-socialist economy wherever it has continued to exist. The modern capitalist resource intensive consumer lifestyle requires the privatization of resources from the commons, like water, arable land, timber, minerals, etc in order to provision the insanely high per capita needs of its ever-growing population. When modern developed countries outstrip their provisioning needs, they find "modern" ways to extract those resources from lesser developed countries that can easily be dominated by a mixture of finance & politics. When that fails, then they revert to the use of military force to achieve their provisioning objectives. When subsistence eco-socialist economies outstrip the productive capacity of their natural environments, they try to migrate to an undeveloped natural environment that can resume the provisioning of their modest subsistence needs. When that fails, they revert to the use of military force against their neighbors to take what they need. In both cases, the behavior of us apex predator primates is fairly predictable, and no matter what socio-economic system you create if you add people at a greater rate than they die off then your ever-expanding population will require ever-increasing provisioning of all essential resources. The more materialistic the lifestyle, the more resources will need to be provisioned and the greater the destructive side effects of production on the natural environment. Eventually, the destructive side effects will result in potable water depletion, deforestation, topsoil erosion, biodiversity loss, toxic pollution, and climate change over a greater & greater geographical area. Eventually, conquest, domination, exploitation, extraction and privatization are met with the ever-growing counter provisioning needs & actions of competing societies that can only be resolved by military conflict over control of the contested resources. Rinse & repeat. This is the history of our species. The transition from a temperate interglacial climate to a hot/humid greenhouse climate will be as existentially challenging as the Ice Age was for our ancient ancestors. They had to innovate, adapt, cooperate and compete in order to survive the increasingly hostile climate conditions. We will have to do the same. Both capitalism & eco-socialism will play their roles in the human future. We will need the best of both in order to have any future at all. Innovate, adapt, cooperate and compete. The more things change, the more they stay the same...
Imagine watching an hour-long discussion on why capitalism isn't sustainable, then typing a wall of text with loads of points showing how capitalism isn't sustainable, and then ending it with "capitalism will play its role in the human future". Some people's self-induced confusion is breaking all scales of incomprehension.
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We are living through a crisis of humanity and not addressing this as equally important in any plan is a lethal mistake. All our problems interweave with this.
The aggregate value measure vs the quality of life resources and services measure (25:00) is a great point, made by Jason, and would make a great short.
I wouldn't choose the word "degrouth". I prefer "balance", "fairness". I really like the Heidi&Alvin Toffler perspective of Wealth Creation. How they view economy as not only monetary. And how people contribute to wealth creation in a non monetary economy. So, in a very intelligent society non monetary economy is aknowledged and valued. The economy is always flowing and balanced. This intelligent economy is like phisics and could even be translated in formula. Society is considered as a all, not as classes. It's the difference between an alive system and a stagnant system. This corporate capitalism is a stagnant system, rigid, greedy, and built on slavery. That's what they want. That's why Gaza genocidec is waking up people to this slavery. These corporations have such a power that only boycottsvon them really work. They don't care about people' suffering. They can even live with genocide.
Good point. It is impossible to have a sustainable economy without integrating a symbiotic awareness of our relationship with community and environment. Not sure I would define capitalism as rigid. It is inherently dynamic, which is its success. Its ability to absorb what opposes it. Eg the image of the star on Che Guevara's hat and his face used to advertise Mercedes Benz.
@@scathatch Dynamism or creativity (in in marketing is not enough to describe this corporate capitalismo as not rigid 🙋 When these corporations monopolize resources and this tendency is spreading, people have no access to them: house ownership is a luxury now. Finance took over the real economy. It looks like dynamism but it's just the variations of shares' values, many of these operations are bubbles (example: Tesla shares).
You need to be careful with words that can be coopted and have meanings changed and distorted by propaganda. Degrowth cannot be coopted, it goes against the core. Balance and fairness can be twisted by the media, to the point people will not know what it is supposed to mean in practical terms.
Having decent and affordable healthcare and education and strong worker protections helps people feel better than the dog-eat-dog jungle of hyperindividualist neoliberalism in places like the US corporatocracy? It's not so complex to need any "breaking down" by anyone.
We need an open, good faith informal debate/discussion between Jason + Yanis and someone who disagrees with them. It’s the only way to find the faults with these theories we find so appealing as those of a leftist inclination. It’s the only way we can actually be convinced of them enough to take action as a society. Capitalism has the first-mover advantage when it comes to creature comforts atleast in recent memory.
If you are in the EU i encourage you to look up the political party Yanis founded, MERA25. We are running in the EU elections and we need all the votes we can get.
People outside of Europe can help too by donating. I donate to MeRA25 and DiEM25 monthly as an American because I don't have a political party that adequately represents me. As a result, I'm way more interested in European politics. I believe Europe is the future, and I'm relying on my comrades in Germany to pull through.
I am reading The Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav Ghosh and what struck me is that the MEANING got lost. There is no connection whatsoever to the earth. Then i knew enough. To help restore meaning is not only vital, but the only thing and this takes years to come.
Great conversation and a lot of interesting ideas however im interested to know what role the State plays in this transition and its role after the transition if any. Hickel seems to allude to some anarchist model of organisation but it isnt clear.
humanity has to radically re-evaluate what its priorities are. Not only beyond capitalism but also beyond rampant materialism, beyond individualism without sacrificing individual potential. PS Hikel needs to speak more slowly and with clearer diction. All great ideas must be clearly articulated!
I love it when a guy with round glasses tells me how great the world could be if it would conform to his wishes, if he had control of productivity capacity and capital. This illiberalism will never be tolerated and must be rejected without equivocation.
What an uninformed and nonsense thing to say. I could save 'I love it when petty ideologies tell me who I should and shouldn't listen to, and seeks to tell me what is and isn't 'liberal', on the basis of, well, absolutely nothing.'
This is a fascinating subject, but unfortunately audio levels for Jason Hickel were so poorly adjusted that it was very hard to understand him when he spoke.
Capitalism depends on growth because the owners of capital demand return on their investment. In short, societies are held hostage by those who refuse to share their wealth willingly. The demand for return on investment translates into the pursuit ofeconomic growth
Thanks to you all. Greetings from Canada. Yes the roof is still leaking and recently badly. Is someone going to repair it somehow, or do we need a new architecture?
I like Yanis's explanation: the roof was leaking, the rich needed access to $, so they decided to grow sheep; that is a much better explanation than that they took any kind of sadistic pleasure by causing misery and want for lower classes
23:00 GDP discussion (Gross Domestic Product). I have an objection to the description of GDP by Hickel. GDP is not aggregate output (total production in a year), but it is only monetary output; it measures only the monetary value of goods & services that are sold on the market for money. That is, it ignores the nonmonetary production of nature and human communities (e.g. sustenance economy of a traditional village). I am quite surprised that an ecological economist like Hickel didn’t emphasize this; words are important. This means, the aggregate output can increase, even when monetary aggregate output (GDP) decreases, as the nonmonetary production grows faster than the decrease in GDP (e.g. growth of commons in local communities).
I've become more cynical on this last topic lately. It isn't greed that drives the capitalist system, but desire for power over others. I fully believe that most of the powerful capitalists today would send civilization back to the Middle ages to maintain their status before giving power up to egalitarian, democratic control
Neither of the people in the discussion claim it is some vague "greed" that "drives" anything - neither in their talks nor in their books. The point is that it is the internal logic of capitalism that is undermining the system, the environment, the economy, social cohesion and a whole host of other things. If you had angels in place of capital owners in this system, the system would produce the exact same outcomes, because that's what it is designed to produce - not because of absence of individual moral qualities of those who hold means of production in private ownership.
Interviewer: "desperate people are profitable" Yanis: "no, people are just trying to keep a roof overhead" I, as a participant in an exploitative system, am just trying to build and maintain a good standard of living. But the people with lots of capital, or brokers to for people with it (let's say government officials), and who directly influence others into desperation for profit, aren't doing for mere profit, or because they too are a helpless participant like me. They like there to be a underclass.
I've no idea what this unrelated paragraph has to do with what was pointed out above. The point was that cold, hard logic of capitalist economy is what is driving the outcomes - not vague, individualistic, moralistic claims of some people having "desire for power over others".
@@SvalbardSleeperDistrict no. The people holding the whip don't do it as a rational method for getting desired outcomes, they like to crack it. Capitalism is not a system of rational self-interest
SOY DE ARGENTINA . HAY MUCHOS LATINOAMERICANOS QUE QUEREMOS VER LOS VIDEOS. ESTAN DE VERDAD MUUUY BUENOS Y """ NO ESTAN DISPONIBLES EN ESPAÑOL !!!!! POR FAVOR HAGNA SUBTITULOS EWN ESPAÑOL
great video, one point to note...it was suggested that our ecological crisis could easily be solved if we shifted our priorities and resources. While I agree with the point being made, sadly, due to overshoot, we will not be able to reverse the damage done to our climate and renewable energy cannot solve our predicament.
Totally agree. According to science there is a no return point as far as the temperature concerns. Also from what I know, switching to 100% renewables with current technology and resources is a fantasy. But what else to do, if not start from what is already there? China, for example, had and has to play within the current system, of course with their own socialist rules. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to succeed. I think of it like this: Start at least with something better than what already is, and then gradually implementing policies that close up to what is necessary. As professor Rees have pointed out, overshoot is not a brick wall, rather a gradual degradation. It is happening for quite a long time.
What is the purpose of civilization, capitalism is a tool humans invented or imagined into existence - just as civilization is a tool in the form of an idea, a pattern of concepts we invented for a reason. These ideas are older than anyone alive, we have no collective memory of how we did that " we are told the story but we don't truly remember. Now we need to imagine a new way, new idea patterns, new idea tools.
Totally agree with all this. Just one question : In a democratized workplace, say of 435 staff, wouldn't it take forever to make decisions on anything. Like the House of Representatives. The bickering, back deals, bribery...tee hee hee. Isn't that the function of a Boss? And wouldn't the workers constantly vote themselves perks until the business was unprofitable. The whole idea of the Boss or owner is to take responsibility and the risks in making the business a success.
My understanding of Marx was abolition of commodity production was the goal along with the wage labour - capital relationship, not Partial de- commodification. Will " post capitalism" have wage labour etc?
I wish that highly intelligent people would learn public speaking. It’s frustrating, to listen to people who speak in run on sentences. Learn to speak like Yanis. What are solutions? We already know what the problems are! The reality in America is that only 6% of private labor is unionized! Most people don’t even have a vocabulary to describe their own reality.
The thing is, although that is a hopeful vision, many people have their experiences that many others are lazy af and want to be liked more than anything else. The result are people who in absence of existential problems refuse to be moved to act in their own interest. Where shall the highly intelligent you had in mind take the motivation if it is even on small scale with no abstract matters people could have trouble with understanding really difficult to get people to act in their interest?
These are the sort of people who should be at the helm of our economic systems
With respect to how greatly I admire the voice and reason of Jason Hickel and Yanis Varoufakis - we don't need totalitarian leaders, like politicians and CEOs, we need to build a NEW SYSTEM that meets all needs, in an ecologically sound way, and locally democratic in every possible way.
I would say the sound, logical IDEAS of those like Hickel and Varoufakis should lead us to the next economic evolution. Not that it wouldn't be great to have someone like Varoufakis the elected leader of Greece, but that's unlikely, so instead, we should build the better system itself.
One Small Town through Contributionism is one way, Library Socialism or bringing back The Commons, is another, and what we see in "A Viable Society" talk by Zeitgeist film creator, Peter Joseph.
@@coolioso808 Saying someone should be at the helm of something is not calling for a "totalitarian leader". Even the most decentralised anarchist structures accept management/leadership of individuals who are recognised for their proficiency and experience in a certain role.
@@SvalbardSleeperDistrict good. Just clarifying. I agree, managers and leaders (not bosses of ultimate authority) are still needed for a healthy society. I would welcome more science-based approaches to social management, from Hickel, Raworth, Parrique, Mark Z Jacobson, Bookchin, Srsly Wrong Boys (Library Socialism) and more like that!
@@coolioso808 Thanks for mentioning that talk, I hadn't come across this
@@coolioso808No system better than capitalism. It's the most democratic.
I'm a simple man - I see an interview/video with Jason Hickel and I immediately like and share it.
Ditto
Just discovered him, and he's rad!
It's not nearly as simple as he thinks
@@gmw3083 it's not simple to get the power to do that, but if we had a true democracy, then it's perfectly doable
@@eymerich9237 The zyomuricanwest must completely fail before the new Phoenix rises from the ashes.
Seen Prof. Varoufakis with Prof. Hickel together, feels like two giants unite, forming a new bigger and better "Transformers" robot, fighting for Decolonization-Equality-Justice.
So glad see you two "together"!
a great addition would be Robert Breedlove
What Jason Hickel says makes total sense.
There are so many comments that could be made about this mesmerising conversation. The new story that will replace this one is already created and we must elect those who understand this conversation, deeply. The future is bright but only if there is a collective awakening into this new story..
I hope we don't fall for this idea that 'we must vote better' and that's all we can really do. I"m sorry, but that's not enough. Yes, go vote better for parties with policies that are pro-worker, pro-environment, anti-war and perhaps even anti-capitalist, but that is a hard sell for the general public if our economic problems on the ground are in dismay! People are more motivated by fear and that doesn't lead to logical conclusions all the time.
We need to do what Buckminster Fuller said long ago: "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
We create change from the bottom-up, community level up, through a strategic organizational campaign that is built on cooperation, collaboration and co-ownership. Some organization that allows for local prosperity and abundance, within ecological limits, to be created, high levels of direct democracy and yet also collaborative across nations for ideas of best practice. Open source, in a way.
For system change organizations, they are few and far between at this point. But it doesn't mean we can't develop them sooner than we think. One Small Town communities are popping up all over the world, cooperating and collaborating. Mutual Aid Networks are established in many cities and towns, and could advance more. Library Socialism is a very rational community building strategy that builds "ecological luxury", as Srsly Wrong Boys talked extensively about in their podcast, and it could be paired with an organization like Mutual Aid Networks to get off the ground even more!
May the collective awakening elect correctly.
I recently read Jason’s book Less is More out loud to my dad and it lead to some fruitful conversation. I especially love the chapters focused on the origins of capitalism and the Golden Age of of European Proletariat.
Thank you to all 3 for a fascinating conversation.
Probably the only 2 guys I want to hear speak about the economy
😂😂 same
And ha joon chang
Universal basic income would help people to work fewer jobs, encourage a start up locally providing jobs. Fewer journeys, less stress. Trial of this shows encouraging growth in the local economy. Imho. Thank you
UBI can get sucked up by price hikes and thus doesn't necessarily provide a real benefit, regardless of the sum. Now UBS (Universal Basic Services) on the other hand tends towards guaranteed survival as it gets expanded.
@@TheJayman213 universal basic services as I see it now are not even basic since thatcher and Reagan axis. Ubi gives an opportunity of a basic life, if mandated, for those denied choice or voice in their lives. Power to the people. Cap greedy price rises and rents.
Wow I’m blown away by this. It seems like we are in sleep mode on what’s happening around us. You just made sense to my mind on what is happening in South Africa now. I just learnt so much.
Great discussion. Thank you for making it. Thank you all 3 of you for encouraging critical thinking and debate.
They know, Yanis, they know what they're doing.
In the US they call poor or homeless "losers". They despise poor people.
I'm American and you'll get no argument out of me, sadly. Being half British has given me a more world view of matters for which I am very grateful. There are so many terribly ignorant people in America, it's maddening.
Rich people worldwide despise the poor. The great unwashed. Just throw an eye to Europe's "tiger", Romania, on how the rich here talk and think about the poor. Anyhow. Great debate, cannot tell for the life of me which of you I love most.
@@veredit They all must be careful how they treat people. Also the very rich can be become poor in some ways...
@@veredit We could easily get rid of all poverty in the world, but that would not fit the evil debt based slavery system. In France they had very little debt in 1970, and France had also very little unemployment back then. Today France has plenty of debt, unemployment and poverty. This is all by design!
Bankster cartels have run the world for centuries. They also create the Great Resets which are world wars for depopulation and profits in which they steal everything of value from those targeted for death!
Love you Yani.
Never stop.
Jason Hickel is brilliant to listen to Thanks.
Wonderful podcast. That Trump quote was fascinating.
Perhaps this is also the reason why Jordan Peterson reacts so hysterically to any ecological argument. He seems to equate capitalism and growing economies with humanity itself.
In this perspective ecological activism is a war against humanity.
Mind blowing ❤
Oh wow. My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw this video. Can’t wait to dig in. I love Jason. You could also talk to Kate Raworth or Timothee Parrique too who are also geniuses when it comes to this topic.
The idea that essentials should be a right for all and not subject to markets is a huge shift in thinking for so many people and showing a vision of how this could be is going to be essential to help them make this seismic shift. Yanis's book and discussions such as this are a great start but there is so much more to do. I feel personally buoyed by this kind of discussion, evolving the picture of how we could live.
Also, while I am no fan of set piece confrontational setups I was glad to see some disagreement in this episode as it only through questioning and offering alternative viewpoints that we will evolve a more workable picture. Many thanks.
My 2 favourite thinkers in a conversation! Thank you
Thank you, Yanis, for speaking to US working class. It's true. I'm awake to it. It's a lot.
great point here about the dystopia of wealth inequality in london 53:45 thank you for talking about this, please keep speaking for these people! we must oppose the capital owners, power to the people!
Thank you all for your intelligent and inclusive understanding of what we are seeing and experiencing across the world. This kind of thinking and constructive researched ideas gives me hope all is not lost.
With deep respect to all of you.
Tackling huge problems of history, the world's economies, what happened, and where we are now. How may it be improved ? Thoughtful and educated insights here.
One should read the short story by Tolstoy," How Much Land Does One Man Need."
We need some humor with the dire situation our world faces today.
The first guy says universal health care is an achievable goal. The existing models would have to be completely dismantled first.
The same goes for all of Western civilization. In the east, there are too many people. First comes the fall...
For humour about transition beyond a capitalist-based society, look to Lee Camp. Richard Wolff is also pretty good even though he's a professor not a comedian, but his critiques of ridiculous capitalism are so biting that they generate a laugh or two, as well as learning.
For how we may improve? Take some cues from the late great, R. Buckminster Fuller: "You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete."
Let's build a new model, start at the community level. What ideas and tools do we have? Library Socialism is intriguing! Mutual Aid Networks is too. One Small Town based on Contributionism is very exciting in its development. More to come soon from TZM with the release of Zeitgeist: Requiem by Peter Joseph (trailer online now to see).
What a conversation. Please have a follow up guys. Thank you
Fantastic conversation. Great to hear Yanis over-ruled for once ;)
Absolutely brilliant conversation. And so necessary. Thank you.
EXCELLENT!!! THANK YOU ALL!
This whole series of discussions is incredible. Thank you.
🔥🔥Truth to power! Well said guys. Bravo. 👏🏾👏🏾🙌🏿
Would be amazing to have these conversations broadcast on mainstream media to enlighten the more traditional audiences OR do we need to wait for legacy media to dissolve with time ?
So glad y'all are sharing these interviews!!
Fantastic insights from both Jason and Yanis.
I’m very relieved/comforted/humbled by Yanis taking ecology into his insights of economy at large. This has probably been the one criticism I’ve had, but this is the mechanism of deliberative debate and democracy we ARE, and wish everyone to be part of forming!
Our challenge (seen here in Norway) are how we narrate history itself towards a typical voter. E.g. I use the term “commodification of labour”, people under 45 have naturalised waged work - there’s no other possible sustenance. Those older get furious, because they _own_ capital - however indebted they are. I’d say “class consciousness”, and they run off and vote “far right” from pure fear…
Mention Hegel or Marx just as “tools” for understanding (general dialectics), well… Education shut this out four decades ago, creating the above implications. What a power move back then.
Well, point taken, I guess… Our organisation (the left in general) will need to “re-invent” not long standing facts/emiricism, but indeed how they can be _communicated_ today. I know this is ongoing, though.
DiEM’er since 2020, Oslo Collective. Carpe Diem! 🔥
🔥 been waiting for Yanis and Jason to talk-now get Kohei Saito on here with them and complete the troika
I see what you did there
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”
― Edward Abbey, The Journey Home: Some Words in Defense of the American West
These quote from Trump resonates with my work as an animal rights activist. Last summer a fellow activist and myself were speaking to people at a ribfest about how bad animal agriculture is for the planet. One of the people who were part of the set up of the event said to me point blank that his grandchildren would have to clean up the mess that his generation was leaving behind like his generation had to do from his parents' generation. I was shocked and appalled. How could you be so hateful and willfully blind to the impact of your actions on your own offspring?? 💔💔😣😣
Well done everyone, so wonderful to hear accurate, balanced accounts of our situation & genuine discussions on what we urgently need to be doing to peacefully advance.
Great discussion 👍
Constant growth on a finite planet is impossible.
Professor Hickel nails the issue in the first 3 minutes. The reason that corporations have not moved towards renewables, is that they are far less profitable. This is surely justification for state ownership of energy production.
Amazon/Talen Energy.. then look up Big Tech and Government contracts
Thanks for such a rivetting and thought-provoking conversation on a topic that has been very much at the fore of my thinking over the last few years.
🧡Love🧡this🧡video🧡
Thanks for a wonderful discussion. Jason is sublime! One concern is hearing Yanis naively suggest exploitation is not pre-meditated by ruling classes............. Wish Yanis would change his thinking here to allign authentically with the working classes.
AND the People and their LIFE should only have basic rights/rules/lows… however, Bussinesses should be highly regulated… Your talkes gives so MUCH hope for “we the People”… Thank you❤️❤️❤️
Thank you all three, a most interesting discussion and question time. Two excellent guests and intelligent questions and prompts from Raoul Martinez.
Adam Smith wrote to some degree about these issues in ‘The Theory of Moral Sentiments’, which almost no one has heard of and is certainly never cited
Great discussion.
There is a fundamental competition between the modernized capitalist consumer-driven economy and the native subsistence eco-socialist economy wherever it has continued to exist.
The modern capitalist resource intensive consumer lifestyle requires the privatization of resources from the commons, like water, arable land, timber, minerals, etc in order to provision the insanely high per capita needs of its ever-growing population. When modern developed countries outstrip their provisioning needs, they find "modern" ways to extract those resources from lesser developed countries that can easily be dominated by a mixture of finance & politics. When that fails, then they revert to the use of military force to achieve their provisioning objectives.
When subsistence eco-socialist economies outstrip the productive capacity of their natural environments, they try to migrate to an undeveloped natural environment that can resume the provisioning of their modest subsistence needs. When that fails, they revert to the use of military force against their neighbors to take what they need.
In both cases, the behavior of us apex predator primates is fairly predictable, and no matter what socio-economic system you create if you add people at a greater rate than they die off then your ever-expanding population will require ever-increasing provisioning of all essential resources. The more materialistic the lifestyle, the more resources will need to be provisioned and the greater the destructive side effects of production on the natural environment.
Eventually, the destructive side effects will result in potable water depletion, deforestation, topsoil erosion, biodiversity loss, toxic pollution, and climate change over a greater & greater geographical area. Eventually, conquest, domination, exploitation, extraction and privatization are met with the ever-growing counter provisioning needs & actions of competing societies that can only be resolved by military conflict over control of the contested resources.
Rinse & repeat. This is the history of our species.
The transition from a temperate interglacial climate to a hot/humid greenhouse climate will be as existentially challenging as the Ice Age was for our ancient ancestors. They had to innovate, adapt, cooperate and compete in order to survive the increasingly hostile climate conditions. We will have to do the same.
Both capitalism & eco-socialism will play their roles in the human future. We will need the best of both in order to have any future at all. Innovate, adapt, cooperate and compete. The more things change, the more they stay the same...
Imagine watching an hour-long discussion on why capitalism isn't sustainable, then typing a wall of text with loads of points showing how capitalism isn't sustainable, and then ending it with "capitalism will play its role in the human future". Some people's self-induced confusion is breaking all scales of incomprehension.
So glad you had the destroyer of Steven Pinker on!!
Awesome talk guys. Exactly the issues that need talking about. Been preaching it myself for years, we need a fair energy exchange system...
Fantastic discussion. I learnt a lot
Thank you.!
About time, wondering when this conversation was going to happen. Nice one!
I like the idea of free market cooperatism. Sounds like it could help bring some wealth back to the people
Inspiring coversation.
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We are living through a crisis of humanity and not addressing this as equally important in any plan is a lethal mistake. All our problems interweave with this.
The aggregate value measure vs the quality of life resources and services measure (25:00) is a great point, made by Jason, and would make a great short.
Thank you
that was cool af. This project is really kicking arse.
I wouldn't choose the word "degrouth". I prefer "balance", "fairness". I really like the Heidi&Alvin Toffler perspective of Wealth Creation.
How they view economy as not only monetary.
And how people contribute to wealth creation in a non monetary economy.
So, in a very intelligent society non monetary economy is aknowledged and valued.
The economy is always flowing and balanced.
This intelligent economy is like phisics and could even be translated in formula.
Society is considered as a all, not as classes.
It's the difference between an alive system and a stagnant system.
This corporate capitalism is a stagnant system, rigid, greedy, and built on slavery. That's what they want.
That's why Gaza genocidec is waking up people to this slavery.
These corporations have such a power that only boycottsvon them really work.
They don't care about people' suffering. They can even live with genocide.
Good point. It is impossible to have a sustainable economy without integrating a symbiotic awareness of our relationship with community and environment. Not sure I would define capitalism as rigid. It is inherently dynamic, which is its success. Its ability to absorb what opposes it. Eg the image of the star on Che Guevara's hat and his face used to advertise Mercedes Benz.
@@scathatch Dynamism or creativity (in in marketing is not enough to describe this corporate capitalismo as not rigid 🙋
When these corporations monopolize resources and this tendency is spreading, people have no access to them: house ownership is a luxury now.
Finance took over the real economy. It looks like dynamism but it's just the variations of shares' values, many of these operations are bubbles (example: Tesla shares).
You need to be careful with words that can be coopted and have meanings changed and distorted by propaganda. Degrowth cannot be coopted, it goes against the core. Balance and fairness can be twisted by the media, to the point people will not know what it is supposed to mean in practical terms.
Rationality for a change
I wish these wonderful minds could breakdown how Finland is purported to be the happiest country
Having decent and affordable healthcare and education and strong worker protections helps people feel better than the dog-eat-dog jungle of hyperindividualist neoliberalism in places like the US corporatocracy? It's not so complex to need any "breaking down" by anyone.
We need an open, good faith informal debate/discussion between Jason + Yanis and someone who disagrees with them. It’s the only way to find the faults with these theories we find so appealing as those of a leftist inclination. It’s the only way we can actually be convinced of them enough to take action as a society.
Capitalism has the first-mover advantage when it comes to creature comforts atleast in recent memory.
Fabulous
"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." - Warren Buffett
Thanks a lot!!!
Great!
Great interview!!
If you are in the EU i encourage you to look up the political party Yanis founded, MERA25. We are running in the EU elections and we need all the votes we can get.
People outside of Europe can help too by donating. I donate to MeRA25 and DiEM25 monthly as an American because I don't have a political party that adequately represents me. As a result, I'm way more interested in European politics. I believe Europe is the future, and I'm relying on my comrades in Germany to pull through.
@@McDonaldsRich honestly I didn't even think of that. That's awesome 😎 thank you for your support
I am reading The Nutmeg’s Curse by Amitav Ghosh and what struck me is that the MEANING got lost. There is no connection whatsoever to the earth. Then i knew enough. To help restore meaning is not only vital, but the only thing and this takes years to come.
Great conversation and a lot of interesting ideas however im interested to know what role the State plays in this transition and its role after the transition if any. Hickel seems to allude to some anarchist model of organisation but it isnt clear.
humanity has to radically re-evaluate what its priorities are. Not only beyond capitalism but also beyond rampant materialism, beyond individualism without sacrificing individual potential. PS Hikel needs to speak more slowly and with clearer diction. All great ideas must be clearly articulated!
Good video
thank you❤
I love it when a guy with round glasses tells me how great the world could be if it would conform to his wishes, if he had control of productivity capacity and capital. This illiberalism will never be tolerated and must be rejected without equivocation.
What an uninformed and nonsense thing to say. I could save 'I love it when petty ideologies tell me who I should and shouldn't listen to, and seeks to tell me what is and isn't 'liberal', on the basis of, well, absolutely nothing.'
@@jonathanbailey1597 Degrowth is evil. It's anti-human. Pure and simple.
@@jonathanbailey1597 Maybe you should look up what "liberal" means
@@Jean-Luc-sh2pg Oh, my grasp of liberalism is far and away better than yours
@@jonathanbailey1597 then you understand de-growth is illiberal
HealingTruthALL
All is well ❤ Let love lead😊
This is a fascinating subject, but unfortunately audio levels for Jason Hickel were so poorly adjusted that it was very hard to understand him when he spoke.
Holy shit holt shit most GOATed crossover ever I',m so fucken excited to watch this shit!
Capitalism depends on growth because the owners of capital demand return on their investment.
In short, societies are held hostage by those who refuse to share their wealth willingly. The demand for return on investment translates into the pursuit ofeconomic growth
We as a species may be evolving, if ever so slowly but our systems are buckling under the weight of their own antiquity and inadequacy.
It can be overcome, but it will never be because we aren't making any decisions. We are just pones in game.
Thanks to you all. Greetings from Canada. Yes the roof is still leaking and recently badly.
Is someone going to repair it somehow, or do we need a new architecture?
I like Yanis's explanation: the roof was leaking, the rich needed access to $, so they decided to grow sheep; that is a much better explanation than that they took any kind of sadistic pleasure by causing misery and want for lower classes
23:00 GDP discussion (Gross Domestic Product). I have an objection to the description of GDP by Hickel. GDP is not aggregate output (total production in a year), but it is only monetary output; it measures only the monetary value of goods & services that are sold on the market for money. That is, it ignores the nonmonetary production of nature and human communities (e.g. sustenance economy of a traditional village). I am quite surprised that an ecological economist like Hickel didn’t emphasize this; words are important. This means, the aggregate output can increase, even when monetary aggregate output (GDP) decreases, as the nonmonetary production grows faster than the decrease in GDP (e.g. growth of commons in local communities).
Thanks!
I've become more cynical on this last topic lately. It isn't greed that drives the capitalist system, but desire for power over others. I fully believe that most of the powerful capitalists today would send civilization back to the Middle ages to maintain their status before giving power up to egalitarian, democratic control
Neither of the people in the discussion claim it is some vague "greed" that "drives" anything - neither in their talks nor in their books. The point is that it is the internal logic of capitalism that is undermining the system, the environment, the economy, social cohesion and a whole host of other things. If you had angels in place of capital owners in this system, the system would produce the exact same outcomes, because that's what it is designed to produce - not because of absence of individual moral qualities of those who hold means of production in private ownership.
Interviewer: "desperate people are profitable"
Yanis: "no, people are just trying to keep a roof overhead"
I, as a participant in an exploitative system, am just trying to build and maintain a good standard of living. But the people with lots of capital, or brokers to for people with it (let's say government officials), and who directly influence others into desperation for profit, aren't doing for mere profit, or because they too are a helpless participant like me. They like there to be a underclass.
Hell, even managers at my own small company will micromanage people's time, because they value hierarchy so highly.
I've no idea what this unrelated paragraph has to do with what was pointed out above. The point was that cold, hard logic of capitalist economy is what is driving the outcomes - not vague, individualistic, moralistic claims of some people having "desire for power over others".
@@SvalbardSleeperDistrict no. The people holding the whip don't do it as a rational method for getting desired outcomes, they like to crack it. Capitalism is not a system of rational self-interest
SOY DE ARGENTINA . HAY MUCHOS LATINOAMERICANOS QUE QUEREMOS VER LOS VIDEOS. ESTAN DE VERDAD MUUUY BUENOS Y """ NO ESTAN DISPONIBLES EN ESPAÑOL !!!!!
POR FAVOR HAGNA SUBTITULOS EWN ESPAÑOL
great video, one point to note...it was suggested that our ecological crisis could easily be solved if we shifted our priorities and resources. While I agree with the point being made, sadly, due to overshoot, we will not be able to reverse the damage done to our climate and renewable energy cannot solve our predicament.
every 0.01℃ saves lives, don't let the looming future paralyze you my friend.
Totally agree. According to science there is a no return point as far as the temperature concerns.
Also from what I know, switching to 100% renewables with current technology and resources is a fantasy.
But what else to do, if not start from what is already there?
China, for example, had and has to play within the current system, of course with their own socialist rules. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to succeed.
I think of it like this: Start at least with something better than what already is, and then gradually implementing policies that close up to what is necessary.
As professor Rees have pointed out, overshoot is not a brick wall, rather a gradual degradation. It is happening for quite a long time.
Well said gentlemen, Yanis the Aborigines never surrendered the land to the British, they r still fighting.
I really think that they should invite a thinker like Roberto Unger, who is a leftist who does not agree with the Marxist analysis of the economy.
Introduction to Economic Cybernetics
Oskar copyright ©️ 1970
Stafford Beer The fsther of managerial cybernectics - Big Data analysis including cybernectic glossary
Vanilla Beer & Allenna Leonard copyright ©️ 2019
What is the purpose of civilization, capitalism is a tool humans invented or imagined into existence - just as civilization is a tool in the form of an idea, a pattern of concepts we invented for a reason.
These ideas are older than anyone alive, we have no collective memory of how we did that " we are told the story but we don't truly remember.
Now we need to imagine a new way, new idea patterns, new idea tools.
Totally agree with all this. Just one question : In a democratized workplace, say of 435 staff, wouldn't it take forever to make decisions on anything. Like the House of Representatives. The bickering, back deals, bribery...tee hee hee. Isn't that the function of a Boss? And wouldn't the workers constantly vote themselves perks until the business was unprofitable. The whole idea of the Boss or owner is to take responsibility and the risks in making the business a success.
Where to find your political program. Who is in charge of handimg out the adequate formulars to vote diem
At the 43 minute mark guu brings up the need for Trotsky Permanent Revolution
My understanding of Marx was abolition of commodity production was the goal along with the wage labour - capital relationship, not Partial de- commodification. Will " post capitalism" have wage labour etc?
I wish that highly intelligent people would learn public speaking.
It’s frustrating, to listen to people who speak in run on sentences.
Learn to speak like Yanis.
What are solutions? We already know what the problems are!
The reality in America is that only 6% of private labor is unionized!
Most people don’t even have a vocabulary to describe their own reality.
The thing is, although that is a hopeful vision, many people have their experiences that many others are lazy af and want to be liked more than anything else. The result are people who in absence of existential problems refuse to be moved to act in their own interest. Where shall the highly intelligent you had in mind take the motivation if it is even on small scale with no abstract matters people could have trouble with understanding really difficult to get people to act in their interest?
HealingLoveALL
Was anyone else interrupted by an advertisement from the Hoover Institution?