Abstract
[I am grateful to the editors for inviting me to reply to Paul Burkett's criticisms of my work, and also to Burkett himself for his systematic and scholarly attention. So far as I can tell, Burkett and I are in close agreement on some very important issues: that ecological degradation is of central importance politically, that its primary cause is the dynamics of specifically capitalist social and economic relations (not ‘industrialism’, ‘greed’, ‘modernity’, ‘anthropocentrism’, ‘science’, or whatever), that Marx's and Engels's materialist view of history is indispensable for any adequate theoretical grasp of our current predicament, that scientific and technical innovation are shaped by capitalist class relations, that the much vaunted aspiration to ‘sustainability’ is unachievable short of a fundamental and emancipatory transformation of social and economic life, and so on., I am grateful to the editors for inviting me to reply to Paul Burkett's criticisms of my work, and also to Burkett himself for his systematic and scholarly attention. So far as I can tell, Burkett and I are in close agreement on some very important issues: that ecological degradation is of central importance politically, that its primary cause is the dynamics of specifically capitalist social and economic relations (not ‘industrialism’, ‘greed’, ‘modernity’, ‘anthropocentrism’, ‘science’, or whatever), that Marx's and Engels's materialist view of history is indispensable for any adequate theoretical grasp of our current predicament, that scientific and technical innovation are shaped by capitalist class relations, that the much vaunted aspiration to ‘sustainability’ is unachievable short of a fundamental and emancipatory transformation of social and economic life, and so on.]
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.