Samuel Alexander
The other day I mentioned the sage Edward Goldsmith. His insights date to prior decades. A sage of our own times is Samuel Alexander:
“I situate my work in that space in which the systemic critique of capitalism overlaps with a deep green environmentalism. This space has, to date, been marginal because most in the environmental movement do not seem to appreciate the systemic need to transcend capitalism, and most Leftist critics of capitalism do not seem to appreciate that ‘growth socialism’ (with a broader distribution of wealth) is no more sustainable than ‘growth capitalism’ (with its highly concentrated distribution of wealth). What’s recognized at the intersection of these worldviews is that a degrowth transition of planned economic contraction is needed in the developed world. It should be informed by the values and visions of democratic eco-socialism, permaculture, voluntary simplicity, and an economics of sufficiency. I believe this vision of material sufficiency would remain even in the absence of current environmental and humanitarian crises. The good life does not consist in the consumption and accumulation of ever more ‘nice things.’ People desire a deeper connection to each other and to nature than what is provided in consumer cultures, and the good news is that a post-materialist form of flourishing would alleviate the stresses on the planet. These realizations are the source of grounded hope that keeps despair at the door.”
