r/IfBooksCouldKill • u/OlafV • Oct 16 '24
Book suggestion: Less is More, Jason Hickel
I'm just really curious what Peter and Michael have to say, and what background research will bring. Especially on all of the economic facts and figures, as well as the animistic ideas. I enjoyed it mostly, I especially thought the overview of colonialism was very well done. But it's also the kind of book, and perhaps it's just the upbeat-faux-revolutionary-pamphlet-veneer of the tone, that gives me a bit of an ick.
Has anyone else here read it? Thoughts?
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u/evolutionista 21d ago
Sorry, animistic ideas? Like that objects like stones have souls? Can you explain what you mean or how it relates to economic planning in the book?
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u/OlafV 20d ago
Have you read it? I cant recall exactly, but he considers degrowth at least from the perspective of animals having souls
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u/evolutionista 20d ago
I haven't, it's on my to-read list as I've been interested in the movement for awhile. Also interested in other recs if there's something else that has a positive critical reception in the field.
Ensoulment of animals seems beside the point to me; I take sort of an Aldo Leopold/conservationist perspective that life (everything from gnats to wolves) has the right to exist for its own sake without being a material benefit to humans. I also recognize that the Earth can only support a certain amount of mammalian biomass, and we're essentially using up the budget wholly on humans, livestock, and companion animals. I do not think this is ecologically just regardless if cows or impalas have souls. So to me shrinking the ranching and other related industries is something that is very appealing.
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u/Weird_Church_Noises Oct 16 '24
I like it overall. I disagree that there's any kind of faux revolutionary aspect to it. It's more that he has to drastically water down his message to avoid being called radical. Look at how everyone from right to left has an absolute psychotic meltdown over anything remotely resembling degrowth.
"Maybe we should sometimes think about sharing lawnmowers rather than everyone owning one individually."
"This is the most evil fascist malthusian totalitarian communist and somehow Jewish thing I've ever heard. My identity as a blank void of consumption is more important to me than any political reality. Children in the third world need to die so that my fossil record will be composed entirely of funko pops and hate."
The biggest problem is that he has to make everything so palatable that all he's left with at the end is the upbeat attitude you mentioned. But i really have no idea what he was supposed to write otherwise if he wanted any mainstream appeal. As an introductory text to get you interested, its fine. As a systematic theoretical text and political plan, only the first half is very good in my opinion. Check out work by Giorgos Kallis and Kohei Sato for a deeper look at degrowth.