The degrowth movement wants to intentionally shrink the economy to address climate change, and create lives with less stuff, less work, and better well-being. But is it a utopian fantasy?
It won’t happen because the ones interested in keeping us convinced we’re hardwired to acquire stuff would not want it, and they’re the ones in control.
Ascetics exist. Minimalists exist. Fuck, Marie Kondo exists. The desire for stuff is not some immutable force like gravity. It’s just what we’ve been taught by the ones selling the stuff.
Humans are also hardwired to be adaptable and survive in many many circumstances. Materialism is one such circumstance. If this movement gains momentum and the world actually changes because of it humans will adapt again and survive.
The problem is that survival in these circumstances seems to depend on the continuation of it for all those in it, which leads to heavy resistance to changing the circumstances we’ve adapted to. It requires us to look beyond what we know and work towards the greater good with little guarantee that this will work out for ourselves individually within our own lives even if we know it’ll be good for everybody in the long term. Therefore, it goes against that innate survival instinct.
I truly believe that the only way out of this dumpster fire of a world we live in depends on changing those “fundamentals” (big word, seeing how materialism is relatively recent to mankind and is only fundamental as long as the majority believes it is and keeps the charade going) but in the short term it means going against the instinct to persevere and stay in the rat race, because stepping out of the race to live by new rules while the rest is undecided or flat out decides to simply keep running is going to set you back within the confines of the “old rules”.
I disagree that we’re hardwired to acquire stuff. But even if we are, we’re sentient beings who overcome a lot of things we’re hardwired to do, so that is just one more thing we should be aware of about our own thinking.
Eh, humans are hardwired to acquire stuff. This will never catch on. It’d be cool if it did. But it won’t.
It won’t happen because the ones interested in keeping us convinced we’re hardwired to acquire stuff would not want it, and they’re the ones in control.
Ascetics exist. Minimalists exist. Fuck, Marie Kondo exists. The desire for stuff is not some immutable force like gravity. It’s just what we’ve been taught by the ones selling the stuff.
Humans are hard wired to take care of each other. You’re mistaking human nature with materialism.
But hey, do you doomer.
Humans are also hardwired to be adaptable and survive in many many circumstances. Materialism is one such circumstance. If this movement gains momentum and the world actually changes because of it humans will adapt again and survive.
The problem is that survival in these circumstances seems to depend on the continuation of it for all those in it, which leads to heavy resistance to changing the circumstances we’ve adapted to. It requires us to look beyond what we know and work towards the greater good with little guarantee that this will work out for ourselves individually within our own lives even if we know it’ll be good for everybody in the long term. Therefore, it goes against that innate survival instinct.
I truly believe that the only way out of this dumpster fire of a world we live in depends on changing those “fundamentals” (big word, seeing how materialism is relatively recent to mankind and is only fundamental as long as the majority believes it is and keeps the charade going) but in the short term it means going against the instinct to persevere and stay in the rat race, because stepping out of the race to live by new rules while the rest is undecided or flat out decides to simply keep running is going to set you back within the confines of the “old rules”.
I disagree that we’re hardwired to acquire stuff. But even if we are, we’re sentient beings who overcome a lot of things we’re hardwired to do, so that is just one more thing we should be aware of about our own thinking.
[Citation needed]
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This belongs in a capitalist propaganda bingo card
Macroeconomics student moment
Human nature is sculpted and shaped by the material conditions around you, it’s not something immutable and forever the same.
If a society is built around endless accumulation then of course it would be considered only natural to most.
After all, if you were born and lived your whole life in a coal mine, you’d say it’s human nature to cough.
Nope. That’s just you.
Materialism could also in part be the result of a lack in other areas that humans are hardwired for. Community, emotional care, daydreaming, …