"reduce aggregate economic activity in high-income nations while at the same time maintaining and even improving indicators of human development and well-being."
Could it be that what he's trying to say is: we can reduce inputs while increasing outputs. I.e. productivity growth. But since "growth" is unfashionable in his circles, and he's really confused, he doesn't say that.
Well, to be fair, anthropologists doing anthropology are hardly any better...
I am amused that he can so easily identify "socially unnecessary industries " It doesn't seem to occur to the fatuous twat that those industries serve some human need - whether for steel, concrete, or recreation. If they didn't they never would have emerged in the first place. If they served our needs once, but no longer do, they would be failing - and we wouldn't need anyone like Hickel to shut them down.
I've not read the literature on degrowth so find it interesting to see how inevitable for him the pairing is between dirty and socially unnecessary and clean and socially useful. Life isn't that neat really. Case in point modern healthcare is very polluting (all those single use items).
There's a typo or Freudian slip in the second sentence of the quote "while regrowth" instead of degrowth due to the pairing with recession. I assume his Freudian slip, not yours. Does one cut and paste these in? Or retype them? I assume the former but since I'm typing comments on a phone with one finger and am not an author I don't know.
"reduce aggregate economic activity in high-income nations while at the same time maintaining and even improving indicators of human development and well-being."
Could it be that what he's trying to say is: we can reduce inputs while increasing outputs. I.e. productivity growth. But since "growth" is unfashionable in his circles, and he's really confused, he doesn't say that.
Reduce economic activity really does mean reduce economic activity.
Well, to be fair, anthropologists doing anthropology are hardly any better...
I am amused that he can so easily identify "socially unnecessary industries " It doesn't seem to occur to the fatuous twat that those industries serve some human need - whether for steel, concrete, or recreation. If they didn't they never would have emerged in the first place. If they served our needs once, but no longer do, they would be failing - and we wouldn't need anyone like Hickel to shut them down.
I've not read the literature on degrowth so find it interesting to see how inevitable for him the pairing is between dirty and socially unnecessary and clean and socially useful. Life isn't that neat really. Case in point modern healthcare is very polluting (all those single use items).
There's a typo or Freudian slip in the second sentence of the quote "while regrowth" instead of degrowth due to the pairing with recession. I assume his Freudian slip, not yours. Does one cut and paste these in? Or retype them? I assume the former but since I'm typing comments on a phone with one finger and am not an author I don't know.
He likes to use "regrowth" to mean everyone does as he says. Everyone gets their insect dusted turnip flour and are happy.