Retro-modernism
… I’d argue that ecomodernism is retro-modernism – less alive, less open to the changes and possibilities in the world, less modern, than the localism and the ‘folk politics’ that it derides…
ecomodernism
Let’s Define Degrowth before we Dismiss it
The reluctance of degrowth-critics to define growth makes for poor debate.
The Closed World and the Infinite Universe: The Metaphysics of Freedom
For the sun has long since set and the Owl of Minerva has not yet taken flight. It may be time to admit that we cannot simply choose to live the way we want to.
Magical Mathematics
I know that some readers of this blog get bored by my engagements with the ecomodernists, whereas others find them interesting. So I’m going to try to keep everyone happy.
Promethean Porn and Malthusian Mistakes: a letter to Leigh Phillips
My own Promethean ambition is for us to embrace our techne, our human skills, and use them to live with humility and wisdom alongside others on our planet.
The Persistence of the Peasantry: Further Notes on the Inverse Productivity Relationship
This post strikes to the heart of what Small Farm Future is all about, and raises some interesting agricultural issues – the fact that it also engages with the ecomodernism debate is almost incidental, really.
On the Iconography of my Scythe
"There is an empiricist argument against the proposition that the peasantry is doomed, namely that after all these years they just won’t go away."
Ecomodernism: a Response to my Critics
George Monbiot, bless him, has recently been tweeting his enthusiasm for my critique of the Ecomodernist Manifesto (‘Dark thoughts on Ecomodernism‘)
Dark Thoughts on Ecomodernism
When it comes to manifesto ‘narratives’, I want to find the stories that lie beneath the words, and compare them with my own.
The Anthropocene Debate: Why is Such a Useful Concept Starting to Fall Apart?
The point is not that the Anthropocene should be abandoned—clearly it’s had its uses. But should it be a call-to-action for climate researchers and activists alike?
Hijacking the Anthropocene
How the anti-green ‘Breakthrough Institute’ misrepresents science to advance a technocratic agenda and undermine grassroots environmentalism.
A Degrowth Response to an Ecomodernist Manifesto
From a degrowth perspective, technology is not viewed as a magical savior since many technologies actually accelerate environmental decline.