Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto
| Item Information | |
|---|---|
| Item#: | 9781662602368 |
| Author | Saito & Bergstrom |
| On Hand | 1 |
"[A] well-reasoned and eye-opening treatise . . . [Kohei Saito makes] a provocative and visionary proposal."
—Publishers Weekly, (starred review)
"Saito’s clarity of thought, plethora of evidence, and conversational, gentle, yet urgent tone . . . are sure to win over open-minded readers who understand the dire nature of our global. . . . A cogently structured anti-capitalist approach to the climate crisis."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Why, in our affluent society, do so many people live in poverty, without access to health care, working multiple jobs and are nevertheless unable to make ends meet, with no future prospects, while the planet is burning?
In his international bestseller, Kohei Saito argues that while unfettered capitalism is often blamed for inequality and climate change, subsequent calls for “sustainable growth” and a “Green New Deal” are a dangerous compromise. Capitalism creates artificial scarcity by pursuing profit based on the value of products rather than their usefulness and by putting perpetual growth above all else. It is therefore impossible to reverse climate change in a capitalist society—more: the system that caused the problem in the first place cannot be an integral part of the solution.
Instead, Saito advocates for degrowth and deceleration, which he conceives as the slowing of economic activity through the democratic reform of labor and production. In practical terms, he argues for:
the end of mass production and mass consumptiondecarbonization through shorter working hours the prioritization of essential labor over corporate profits
By returning to a system of social ownership, he argues, we can restore abundance and focus on those activities that are essential for human life, effectively reversing climate change and saving the planet.
—Publishers Weekly, (starred review)
"Saito’s clarity of thought, plethora of evidence, and conversational, gentle, yet urgent tone . . . are sure to win over open-minded readers who understand the dire nature of our global. . . . A cogently structured anti-capitalist approach to the climate crisis."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Why, in our affluent society, do so many people live in poverty, without access to health care, working multiple jobs and are nevertheless unable to make ends meet, with no future prospects, while the planet is burning?
In his international bestseller, Kohei Saito argues that while unfettered capitalism is often blamed for inequality and climate change, subsequent calls for “sustainable growth” and a “Green New Deal” are a dangerous compromise. Capitalism creates artificial scarcity by pursuing profit based on the value of products rather than their usefulness and by putting perpetual growth above all else. It is therefore impossible to reverse climate change in a capitalist society—more: the system that caused the problem in the first place cannot be an integral part of the solution.
Instead, Saito advocates for degrowth and deceleration, which he conceives as the slowing of economic activity through the democratic reform of labor and production. In practical terms, he argues for:
the end of mass production and mass consumptiondecarbonization through shorter working hours the prioritization of essential labor over corporate profits
By returning to a system of social ownership, he argues, we can restore abundance and focus on those activities that are essential for human life, effectively reversing climate change and saving the planet.
Table of Contents
Slow Down: The Deceleration Manifesto
by Kohei Saito, translated by Brian Bergstrom
Table of Contents
Introduction: SDGs are the Opiate of the Masses!
Chapter One
Climate Change and the Imperial Mode of Living
Chapter Two
The Limits of Green Keynesianism
Chapter Three
Shooting for Degrowth within a Capitalist System
Chapter Four
Marx in the Anthropocene
Chapter Five
The Escapism Known as Accelerationism
Chapter Six
Capitalism’s Scarcity, Communism’s Abundance
Chapter Seven
Degrowth Communism Will Save the World
Chapter Eight
The Lever of Climate Justice
Conclusion: How to Prevent History’s End
by Kohei Saito, translated by Brian Bergstrom
Table of Contents
Introduction: SDGs are the Opiate of the Masses!
Chapter One
Climate Change and the Imperial Mode of Living
Chapter Two
The Limits of Green Keynesianism
Chapter Three
Shooting for Degrowth within a Capitalist System
Chapter Four
Marx in the Anthropocene
Chapter Five
The Escapism Known as Accelerationism
Chapter Six
Capitalism’s Scarcity, Communism’s Abundance
Chapter Seven
Degrowth Communism Will Save the World
Chapter Eight
The Lever of Climate Justice
Conclusion: How to Prevent History’s End
Review Quotes
"According to Saito, the Earth is completely doomed unless we give up our obsession with G.D.P. and other forms of capitalist insanity. I find myself pretty well convinced."
—Tammy Kim, contributing writer at the New Yorker
"Saitō makes a compelling, if idealistic, argument against capitalism and imagines a more equitable, utopian alternative . . . [Slow Down] is a richly researched, deftly wrought manifesto."
—Hannah Bonner, Los Angeles Review of Books
"[Slow Down] offers more than a diagnosis of the systemic problems that brought us to this moment; it lays out, in clear and well-researched language, how those problems can be thoroughly addressed . . . Slow Down is that rare hybrid among ideological manifestos: It opens new insights into an existing ideology while uplifting something distinct of its own."
—Matthew Rozsa, Salon
"If you want to get a jump on the book everyone will be talking about this winter, you should preorder Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto now."
—Jeva Lange, Heatmap News
"Seldom are we confronted with solutions that make us uncomfortable with our way of life. Kohei Saito lays out how 'Imperiale Lebensweise' or the imperial mode of living comes at the expense at much of the developing world, and lays out a vision for how we can preserve life for all and not just the very rich. Modern climate change conversations can become so obsessed with methods and technologies, that they often forget the most important environmental credo. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. Stop buying, stop selling, and let the planet heal."
—Ricardo Pierre-Louis, Bookseller at Semicolon Bookstore
"Saitō’s proposal is simple, salient, and adapts Marx for the modern day."
—The Millions
"Looking to start out the year with some big ideas? Look no further."
—Tobias Carroll, InsideHook
"[A] well-reasoned and eye-opening treatise . . . [Kohei Saito makes] a provocative and visionary proposal."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Saito’s clarity of thought, plethora of evidence, and conversational, gentle, yet urgent tone—even when describing the most alarming aspects of the climate crisis—are sure to win over open-minded readers who understand the dire nature of our global situation and that 'green capitalism is a myth.' A cogently structured anti-capitalist approach to the climate crisis."
—Kirkus (starred review)
"Achieving degrowth communism, [Saito] believes, is less about personal choices and more about changing overarching political and economic structures. Marxism, he argues, offers a viable model for reorienting society around the maximization of public goods as opposed to the endless pursuit and concentration of wealth."
—Ben Dooley & Hisako Ueno, The New York Times
"This necessary and energizing 21st Century manifesto is a truth mirror inviting us to see ourselves and our place in the metastatic growth engine that is our current economic system. Saito is a well-read soothsayer -- one who loves this world, who has done his homework, and who is eager to share a viable way forward."
—John Vaillant, bestselling author of Fire Weather, The Tiger and The Golden Spruce
"Kohei Saito is one of the most important scholars in the world. In Slow Down, he delivers a Karl Marx for the climate crisis and a vision of communism for the 21st century. No work could be more vital today."
—Malcolm Harris, bestselling author of Palo Alto
"Slow Down has an almost magic ability to formulate complex thoughts in clear language, as well as to combine strict conceptual thinking with passionate personal engagement. Saito's book is not just for anyone interested in ecology or in the problems of today's global capitalism, it is simply indispensable for those of us who want to SURVIVE—in short, to all of us."
—Slavoj Žižek, author of Violence and The Sublime Object of Ideology
"Saitō unites Marxism with ecology and lights a path out of our present crisis. A powerful book from one of the most compelling young thinkers of our time."
—Jason Hickel, author of Less is More
—Tammy Kim, contributing writer at the New Yorker
"Saitō makes a compelling, if idealistic, argument against capitalism and imagines a more equitable, utopian alternative . . . [Slow Down] is a richly researched, deftly wrought manifesto."
—Hannah Bonner, Los Angeles Review of Books
"[Slow Down] offers more than a diagnosis of the systemic problems that brought us to this moment; it lays out, in clear and well-researched language, how those problems can be thoroughly addressed . . . Slow Down is that rare hybrid among ideological manifestos: It opens new insights into an existing ideology while uplifting something distinct of its own."
—Matthew Rozsa, Salon
"If you want to get a jump on the book everyone will be talking about this winter, you should preorder Slow Down: The Degrowth Manifesto now."
—Jeva Lange, Heatmap News
"Seldom are we confronted with solutions that make us uncomfortable with our way of life. Kohei Saito lays out how 'Imperiale Lebensweise' or the imperial mode of living comes at the expense at much of the developing world, and lays out a vision for how we can preserve life for all and not just the very rich. Modern climate change conversations can become so obsessed with methods and technologies, that they often forget the most important environmental credo. Sometimes the best thing to do is nothing at all. Stop buying, stop selling, and let the planet heal."
—Ricardo Pierre-Louis, Bookseller at Semicolon Bookstore
"Saitō’s proposal is simple, salient, and adapts Marx for the modern day."
—The Millions
"Looking to start out the year with some big ideas? Look no further."
—Tobias Carroll, InsideHook
"[A] well-reasoned and eye-opening treatise . . . [Kohei Saito makes] a provocative and visionary proposal."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Saito’s clarity of thought, plethora of evidence, and conversational, gentle, yet urgent tone—even when describing the most alarming aspects of the climate crisis—are sure to win over open-minded readers who understand the dire nature of our global situation and that 'green capitalism is a myth.' A cogently structured anti-capitalist approach to the climate crisis."
—Kirkus (starred review)
"Achieving degrowth communism, [Saito] believes, is less about personal choices and more about changing overarching political and economic structures. Marxism, he argues, offers a viable model for reorienting society around the maximization of public goods as opposed to the endless pursuit and concentration of wealth."
—Ben Dooley & Hisako Ueno, The New York Times
"This necessary and energizing 21st Century manifesto is a truth mirror inviting us to see ourselves and our place in the metastatic growth engine that is our current economic system. Saito is a well-read soothsayer -- one who loves this world, who has done his homework, and who is eager to share a viable way forward."
—John Vaillant, bestselling author of Fire Weather, The Tiger and The Golden Spruce
"Kohei Saito is one of the most important scholars in the world. In Slow Down, he delivers a Karl Marx for the climate crisis and a vision of communism for the 21st century. No work could be more vital today."
—Malcolm Harris, bestselling author of Palo Alto
"Slow Down has an almost magic ability to formulate complex thoughts in clear language, as well as to combine strict conceptual thinking with passionate personal engagement. Saito's book is not just for anyone interested in ecology or in the problems of today's global capitalism, it is simply indispensable for those of us who want to SURVIVE—in short, to all of us."
—Slavoj Žižek, author of Violence and The Sublime Object of Ideology
"Saitō unites Marxism with ecology and lights a path out of our present crisis. A powerful book from one of the most compelling young thinkers of our time."
—Jason Hickel, author of Less is More