[lbo-talk] Growth

Mike Ballard swillsqueal at yahoo.com.au
Mon Jul 2 19:46:32 PDT 2007


Carrol Cox <cbcox at ilstu.edu> asked:

My assumption is that human survival beyond the next century requires the complete (and probably permanent) cessation of economic growth. (Reduced population might make growth possible -- but that is speculation on the far future.) In the developed nations any social order replacing capitalism must make make this reduction in energy use and production of goods a major consideration. Is this view very widely shared among leftists, or on this list?

************* The growth of the system of commodity production will run into the contradiction of destroying a liviable environment. We're seeing signs of that now as, "the climes, they are a changing". If the human instinct for survival kicks in soon enough to abolish the current system of production, I think we'll be forced to design it in such a way that any increase in the production of use-values will have to conform with the human need to "live in harmony with the Earth". Such a need, would rule out the consumption of many of the current goods and services which are produced as commodities for sale with a view to profit e.g. nuclear power, fossil fuels, packaging waste.... and, as long as the planet's population remains above the one billion level, excessive use of animal husbandry for food.

Mike B)

An injury to one is an injury to all http://www.iww.org/

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