By the way, what is this growth, we hear so much about everyday on the waves?!Tentative explanation: growth is a quantitative/mathematical index, a make-believe, a system. In fact it is an ideology:
– Growth is a mathematical/quantitative index: it represents the exponential production increase of services and trade in an economy. It is measured by the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). It does not include the quality of productions: an economy, which treats rather than prevents is in growth. The clean up of oil spills, waging war contribute to growth; as does building schools.
– Growth is a make believe: Growth is progress, the best. A plant grows. A child grows: growth is a positive. Growth brings happiness… growth is the condition for populations’ well-being. Growth is synonymous with jobs.
– Growth is a system: the system is a productivist system. Of all the productivist systems, capitalism appears to be the most efficient to grow the GDP (or at least the most efficient to convince people that it is most efficient). The system is based on technology, or even techno-scientism, on the value of work, competition, and competitiveness. This belief in competition renders the system more efficient at creating inequality between the richest and the poorest (across all scales), but, “never mind, since, thanks to growth, the poor will still receive a few crumbs”. This system needs more and more energy to function; it is a system with strong entropy. It is built on programmed obsolescence, debt and advertising.
– Growth ideology consists of an amalgamation of the index, the imaginary and the system. Thus, the most powerful 1% among the 20% who exploit the remaining 80%, resort to a seemingly objective index for strengthening the system and its consequences, whilst promising the imaginary attached to this growth. The promise of happiness at the service of the system. A belief which is the product of magical thought.
Degrowth is about highlighting the ravages of growth as defined above. Degrowth is a coherent vision of a non-violent society, devoid of man-by-man exploitation, respectful of the environment, without subscribing to the economic dogma. And Degrowth is also presenting some uto-paths [1], transition initiatives towards a sustainable and desirable society: Unconditional Autonomy Allowance ; basic needs are free of charge but additional consumption incurs incremental price increases ; free public services ; local complementary currencies together with a maximum income ceiling, re-localisation and direct trade (agriculture, manufactured goods…)…The objective of Degrowth has never been focussed on the reduction of the GDP. Degrowth is about offering different pathways and alternatives not based on the nonsensical capitalist paradigms. Degrowth has never been degrowth of the GDP for the degrowth of the GDP.
[1] In French uto-pistes: A play of word in French: pistes = paths, pathways, trails, directions…
