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In his book Capital 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.
To his surprise, the book with the original title 人新世の「資本論 (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.
The event will be broadcast live in English.
