Capital in the Anthropocene

In his book Marx in the Anthropocene: Towards the Idea of Degrowth Communism (2023), Japanese philosopher Kohei Saito analyzes the linkage of capital, ecology, and society in the Anthropocene. Contrary to conventional reading, Saito rediscovers the thinking of Karl Marx and develops a model of degrowth communism. He critiques that the inherent growth imperative of capitalism has created the root problems of today’s man-made, capital-driven climate crisis.

Saito discovers alternative leads to discuss Marx, recommending shorter working hours and the prioritization of essential production as part of decarbonization. He calls the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals a new „opium for the masses“ and demands the communization of big oil, major banks, and digital infrastructure.

„We face a very difficult situation: the pandemic, poverty, climate change, the war in Ukraine, inflation … it is impossible to imagine a future in which we can grow the economy and at the same time live in a sustainable manner without fundamentally changing anything about our way of life.“ Kohei Saito (The Guardian, 9 September 2022)

To his surprise, the book with the original title 人新世の「資本論 (Capital in the Anthropocene, 2020) sold more than 500,000 copies in Japan alone. Gregor Wakounig translated it into German for dtv Verlag under the title Systemsturz – Der Sieg der Natur über den Kapitalismus.

Discussion with Kohei Saito
Moderation by Malene Gürgen (taz)

The event will be held in English with simultaneous German translation and will be livestreamed. If you would like to attend the event in Berlin, be sure to register.

An event organized by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation in cooperation with the publishing house dtv and the Schwarze Risse bookstore.