|
Growth Fetish is a book about economics and politics by the Australian left-wing political theorist Clive Hamilton. Published in 2002, it became a best-seller in Australia, a very unusual feat for what is normally considered a very dry subject. The book has been the subject of much controversy, and has managed to infuriate commentators on both the left and right of the politico-economic debate. Economics (from the Greek οίκος [oikos], family, household, estate, and νομος [nomos], custom, law, hence household management and management of the state) is a social science that studies the production, distribution, trade and consumption of goods and services. ...
Politics, sometimes defined as the art and science of government. ...
Growth Fetish is a book (ISBN 1741140781) about economics and politics by the Australian left-wing political theorist Clive Hamilton. ...
For the Cusco album, see 2002 (album). ...
The thesis of the book is that the policies of unfettered capitalism pursued by the west for the last 50 years has largely failed, since the underlying purpose of the creation of wealth is happiness, and Hamilton contends that people in general are no happier now than 50 years ago, despite the huge increase in personal wealth. In fact, he suggests that the reverse is true. He states that the pursuit of growth has become a fetish, in that it is seen as a universal magic cure for all of society's ills. Hamilton also proposes that the pursuit of growth has been at a tremendous cost in terms of the environment, erosion of democracy, and the values of society as a whole, as well as not delivering the hoped for increases in personal happiness. One result is that we, as a society, have become obsessed with materialism and consumerism. Capitalism is commonly understood to mean an economic or socioeconomic system in which the means of production are predominantly privately owned and operated for profit, often through the employment of labour. ...
Wealth is an abundance of items of economic value, or the state of controlling or possessing such items, and encompasses money, real estate and personal property. ...
Happiness is a prolonged or lasting emotional or affective state that feels good or pleasing. ...
Growth can refer to: Auxology Bacterial growth Cell growth Economic growth For financial growth due to simple interest or compound interest see Interest Exponential growth Fungal growth Logistic growth Growth hormone Personal growth Population growth Tumours can sometimes be referred to as a growth This is a disambiguation page: a...
This article concerns the concept of fetishism in anthropology. ...
In philosophy, materialism is that form of physicalism which holds that the only thing that can truly be said to exist is matter; that fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. ...
Consumerism is a term used to describe the effects of equating personal happiness with purchasing material possessions and consumption. ...
Hamilton proposes that where a society has developed to the point at which the majority of people live reasonably comfortably, the pursuit of growth is pointless and should be curtailed. The surplus wealth could then be diverted into the essential infrastructure and to other nations that have not reached this level of wealth. Hamilton adapted the term Eudemonism to denote a political and economic model that does not depend on ever increasing and ultimately unsustainable levels of growth, but instead (page 212) "promotes the full realisation of human potential through ... proper appreciation of the sources of wellbeing", among which he identifies social relationships, job satisfaction, religious belief for some, and above all a sense of meaning and purpose. Surplus means the quantity left over, after conducting an activity; the quantity which has not been used up, and can refer to: budget surplus, the opposite of a budget deficit economic surplus Surplus product or surplus value in Marxian economics physical surplus in the economic theory of Piero Sraffa Operating...
Coloured world map indicating Human Development Index (as of 2003). ...
Eudemonism is a philosophy that defines right action as that which leads to well being. ...
Hamilton relates the fetish for growth to a "development mentality", and to a neoliberal "instrumental value theory [which] maintains that, while humans are valuable in and of themselves, the non-human world is valuable only insofar as it contributes to the wellbeing of humans" (page 191). To this he contrasts the stance of the "transpersonal ecology" described by Warwick Fox: this is "centred on the notion that only the ego-involved, contracted self can imagine itself to be distinct from the natural world and that expansion of the self beyond the boundaries of the personal necessarily means that one's awareness, and ground of concern, extends to the natural world" (page 194).
Clive Hamilton is the head of the Australia Institute, an independent think-tank. It is widely regarded as one of the very few viable left-leaning research centres in the country. Growth Fetish itself reflects many of the findings from the AI's report Overconsumption in Australia, which found that 62 per cent of Australians believe they cannot afford everything they need, even though in real terms their incomes have never been higher. The report also found that 83 per cent of people felt that society was "too materialistic", with too much emphasis on money and things, instead of what really matters. The Institute is also researching the growing phenomenon of downshifting, which Hamilton feels may be a response to the growth fetish, laying the foundation for a post-growth society. A think tank is a research institute or other organization providing advice and ideas on problems of policy, commerce, and military interest, and are often associated with military laboratories, corporations, academia, or other institutions. ...
Voluntary simplicity is a lifestyle considered by its adherents to be a sustainable, ecologically sensitive alternative to the typical, western consumerist lifestyle. ...
See also Zero growth is a concept that all economic activities should aim at the equilibrium state rather than continuing growth which ultimately leads to overshoot and the following collapse of the system. ...
Deep ecology is a recent philosophy or ecosophy based on a shift away from the anthropocentric bias of established environmental and green movements. ...
The Club of Rome is a global think tank that deals with a variety of international political issues. ...
The movement for Post-Autistic Economics was born through the work of Sorbonne economist Bernard Guerrien. ...
Affluenza is a term used by critics of consumerism. ...
Publication - Growth Fetish ISBN 1741140781
External links |
Feeds |
Contact