Bridges To Knowledge: A Blog by Barry Camson

A Parable of Potential

In a previous blog article, I set out a quote by Antonio Gramsci which provided a definition of hegemony. Gramsci said, "hegemony means that certain ideas, favorable to the dominant capitalist class were often so deeply ingrained in social and economic processes that it was hard for most people to penetrate the idea fog, and even to think about a new direction - to say nothing of contemplating whether another system is possible."

As I sit here contemplating all the different and hopeful initiatives we are daily creating to deal with climate change and the other negative impacts on our Planet, I get the feeling that I remain within the idea fog as perhaps are others. It seems to me that many of the solutions we are developing - however well-intentioned they may be still exist within Gramsci's idea fog. We cannot seem to move ourselves out of our old habits and paradigm.

Be Careful What You Wish For

Having spent a good deal of time reviewing countless articles on industrial symbiosis, the circular economy and everything in between, I have come up with one overarching reaction which is: Be careful what you wish for.

It is challenging to take even a modestly critical view of what are important ideas and initiatives in our effort to alter our industrial framework to reduce the effects of climate change and other deleterious impacts on the environment. My defense is to quote Aristotle in saying, we should try to follow the "Golden Mean" - everything in moderation.

In this case, this is more an admonition to think carefully about what we are doing and not simply jump into action without considering fully the implications of our efforts. We obviously cannot afford to be inactive. However, we should try not to rush into unthoughtful action allowing our enthusiasm to get us into other - though different predicaments.

Critical Thinking, Myths and Economics

There are two books that deal with what I call "Critical Thinking" as applied to the field of economics. Both are broad in scope. One book by Thomas Sedlacek and Vaclav Havel deals with economics throughout human written history - in our cultural, spiritual and economic life on this planet.

In The Economics of Good and Evil, authors Sedlacek and Havel state that the reason for the book is "to look for economic thought in ancient myths and, vice versa, to look for myths in today's economics." The book does a fascinating job of accomplishing both objectives.

They start with the four thousand year old epic of the Sumerian King Gilgamesh, the oldest work of literature available to humankind which comes from ancient Mesopotamia. They then move through Greek philosophy - Aristotle and Plato among others, Hebrew and Christian Biblical sources, through Christian theologians - St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas, to philosophers of the Enlightenment and up to modern times. This includes discussion of John Stuart Mill and Adam Smith and even Samuelson's contemporary textbook on economics.

"The Riddle of the World" - Old Words, New Message

 

THE RIDDLE OF THE WORLD

Alexander Pope, 1732

Know then thyself, presume not God to scan

The proper study of mankind is man.

Placed on this isthmus of a middle state,

A being darkly wise, and rudely great:

With too much knowledge for the sceptic side,

With too much weakness for the stoic's pride,

He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest;

In doubt to deem himself a God, or beast;

In doubt his mind and body to prefer;

Born but to die, and reas'ning but to err;

Alike in ignorance, his reason such,

Whether he thinks too little, or too much;

Chaos of thought and passion, all confus'd;

Still by himself, abus'd or disabus'd;

Created half to rise and half to fall;

Great lord of all things, yet a prey to all,

Sole judge of truth, in endless error hurl'd;

The glory, jest and riddle of the world.

 

A Brief History of Neoliberalism and the Environment

While it might be ideal to focus our efforts directly and exclusively on combatting Climate Change, the reality is that Global Warming, the increasing extinction of species and the wanton disposal of waste all sit on top of a pyramid. At the base of this pyramid are the theory and practices of Neoliberalism around the world. It appears that unless and until action is taken to deal with Neoliberalism, it will be like swimming against the current in our efforts to be successful in dealing with Climate Change.

David Harvey in his book, "A Brief History of Neoliberalism," does an effective job of making the connection between human-induced Climate Change, the degradation of Nature and the advent of Neoliberalism on the global stage. He points to the late 1970's as the time when Global Warming became more prominent which is also the time when Margaret Thatcher in the UK and Ronald Reagan in the U.S. brought Neoliberalism front and center on the Global stage.