Less Is More

How Degrowth Will Save the World

by Jason Hickel

320 pages

English language

Published Jan. 18, 2021 by Penguin Random House.

ISBN:: 978-1-78609-121-5

(5 reviews)

The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to its primary cause: capitalism. Our economic system is based on 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 surviving the Anthropocene, we need to restore the balance. We need to change how we see the world and our place within it, shifting from a philosophy of domination and extraction to one that’s rooted in reciprocity with our planet’s ecology. We need to evolve beyond the dusty dogmas of capitalism to a new system that’s fit for the twenty-first century.

But what about jobs? What about health? What about progress? This book tackles these questions and offers an inspiring vision for what a post-capitalist economy could look like. An …

But what about jobs? What about health? What about progress? This book tackles these questions and offers an inspiring vision for what a post-capitalist economy could look like. An economy that’s more just, more caring, and more fun. An economy that enables human flourishing while reversing ecological breakdown. By taking less, we can become more.

2 editions

Miguel Ocaña reviewed Menos es más by Jason Hickel

Salvemos el mundo. Léelo para dar los primeros pasos en el Decrecimiento

4 stars

Creo que este libro hace un buen resumen del trabajo de mucha gente, haciendo una buena labor de divulgación, accesible, hilando cosas y dándoles un orden, así que muy recomendable para que lo lea todo el mundo. Ya estoy pensando en personas a las que se lo puedo regalar.

Como puntos negativos, me hubiera gustado que tuviera más peso en las explicaciones el punto de vista de las mujeres. Por ejemplo nombra a Silvia Federici y se apoya en su trabajo de "caliban y la bruja", pero no he notado que haya permeado mucho el mensaje feminista, y me da pena que esa parte no la haya incluido tan bien como otras. Además, pone mucho peso del libro en la parte de generación de urgencia, para conseguir explicar un cambio de punto de vista a partir del cual se precipitan rápidamente una serie de soluciones, que son detalladas, pero en …

Pero todo esto no le quita un ápice de importancia al libro. Las soluciones son claras, tangibles, y buenos primeros pasos fundamentados. Me llevo nombres de estudios, autoras y autores con los que profundizar.

Kantolope reviewed Less Is More by Jason Hickel

Stick to Your Thesis

3 stars

This book, ostensibly, argues that capital's endless pursuit of growth will only end in ecological catastrophe and that only by rejecting perpetual growth, and by extension capital, can we live truly fulfilling lives. I have no problem with this, and actually support this thesis. The problem arises when the author attempts to try his hand at history and bourgeois philosophy. As I've said previously, he attributes outright malevolence to actions that could easily be explained by trying to do well within imperialist/colonialist systems. Furthermore, it's painfully clear that the author has only read the wikipedia articles on the philosophies he critiques. This is doubly unfortunate because I actually agree with his conclusions regarding bourgeois philosophy and how it has historically been used. The analysis is just not up to snuff unfortunately. With a little more time and effort, this could have been great. As it is, it's just okay.