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Endgame, Vol. 2: Resistance (Endgame #2)

4.19 of 5 stars 4.19 · rating details · 659 ratings · 42 reviews

Whereas Volume 1 of Endgame presents the problem of civilization, Volume 2 of this pivotal work illustrates our means of resistance. Incensed and hopeful, impassioned and lucid, Endgame leapfrogs the environmental movement's deadlock over our willingness to change our conduct, focusing instead on our ability to adapt to the impending ecological revolution.

Paperback, 496 pages

Published June 6th 2006 by Seven Stories Press (first published June 1st 2006)

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May 31, 2008 Willy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: environment, non-fiction

Throughout the book I was reminded of Kurt Vonnegut. Both Vonnegut and Jensen use Jewish Holocaust examples to engender fear and illustrate the dangers of complacency. Both use slim facts to support an outrageous plan that feels shockingly plausible. Where Vonnegut uses quirky characters to point out flaws in the dominant paradigm, Jensen is passionate about dams and salmon using that struggle to offer rationale and action for change. While he advocates violence and specifically the use of explo...more Throughout the book I was reminded of Kurt Vonnegut. Both Vonnegut and Jensen use Jewish Holocaust examples to engender fear and illustrate the dangers of complacency. Both use slim facts to support an outrageous plan that feels shockingly plausible. Where Vonnegut uses quirky characters to point out flaws in the dominant paradigm, Jensen is passionate about dams and salmon using that struggle to offer rationale and action for change. While he advocates violence and specifically the use of explosives to blow up dams, he frequently acknowledges his own cowardice to do so.

He advocates a return to the land, without so-called modern conveniences. Throughout the books, I had an underlying question of whether he really advocated this overthrow, or if it was something else in a guise that simply escaped my understanding.

Yet despite the inherent flaws with Jensen’s arguments, his work gets under your skin. Often chastising us for our complacency fueled with consumer comforts, despite incredible environmental degradation, and seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Jensen maintains a strange hold on optimism. This makes his brand of hope feel tangible.
“Over the years I have been criticized because I do not suggest models by which people should live. ‘You’re only interested in tearing things down’ some people say ‘not in providing alternatives.’ I do not provide alternatives because there is no need. The alternatives already exist, and they have existed and worked for thousands and tens of thousands of years.” (page 889) Even more optimistically outrageous, is that he thinks the overthrow of civilization will happen in our lifetimes.

Hi Ho (a Vonnegutism meaning to reflect on what you just read and to point out the simplicity of accepting a complex event)

I included this book in my survey of books available on Sustainability because it offers a philosophic approach to the basic idea of how to get from here to there. Here being a place where we are past peak oil to utopia. Reminiscent of the Monkey Wrench gang, he believes a small group of impassioned (and armed) people can bring down the dams, radio towers, and Wal-Marts. He argues against visualizing change as an effective way to attain change, similarly pacifism can’t work because the dominant powers don’t care, if they did we wouldn’t have this mess that we call civilization.

While Jensen draws parallels between an abuse of power in a family and one of governmental scale, he makes this argument so skillfully that again, I felt inspired. Often this type of comparison feels hollow and forced; something about Jensen’s passion again calls the reader to believe and to act. He uses the tradition of the Cheyenne Dog Soldiers and the picket pin to make this point even more graphic.

“Attached to each dog rope, was a picket-pin, normally used to tether horses. During battle, the pin was driven into the ground as a mark of resolve. Once the pin was driven, the Dog Soldier would remain staked to that piece of ground even to his death. Retreat was no longer an option. The pin could only be removed when everyone was safe or when another Dog Soldier, relived him of his duty.

It is time. I have driven my picket pin. I am staked out, and willing to give in no more.
Where will you drive your own picket stake? Where will you choose to make your stand? Give me a threshold, a specific point at which you will finally stop running, at which you will finally fight back?....What are your gifts and how can you use them in the service of your land base? What can you do? …What are you willing to do?” (page 890)

In the end, I am so grateful for Jensen’s writing. Alternately, very sobering recalling the pacificism of the pre German holocaust. His voice is needed to contrast the paternalistic writing in Natural Capitalism and the ever so hopeful tone of WorldChanging. If there is cataclysmic collapse of civilization I have no doubt Derrick will be sitting near a river looking for tiny fishes swimming against the current, with a big smile on his face.

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Jul 28, 2009 James rated it 4 of 5 stars

The second part (I have read both) of an angry environmentalists screed. I give it 4 stars because he still has a lot to figure out as far as recommendations and being a bit repetative,and because I am not sure I completely agree with his ideas of how to get to where we need to be, but this is one of the best books I have ever read.

He starts with a list of the basic principles of 'civilization,' which are basically focused on the use of power and violence to keep people in line and tear up the e...more

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Sep 13, 2009 blake rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, anthropology-sociology

Finally someone has put these thoughts into coherent arguments. Better than Volume I (because it deals more with action) Volume II is still far from perfect. But my overriding feeling about both is an excited gratitude that someone has actually written them. And regardless of the flaws, it is obvious that Jensen has put an incredible amount of thought and consideration into this work. It's not just a brainless rant against civilization, but composed rather of arguments that have been clearly ana...more Finally someone has put these thoughts into coherent arguments. Better than Volume I (because it deals more with action) Volume II is still far from perfect. But my overriding feeling about both is an excited gratitude that someone has actually written them. And regardless of the flaws, it is obvious that Jensen has put an incredible amount of thought and consideration into this work. It's not just a brainless rant against civilization, but composed rather of arguments that have been clearly analyzed and meditated upon, in order to break down each phenomena into its component parts. A great example would be the discussion on symbolic and non-symbolic violence. Jensen defines his terms, describes what each one looks like, and even posits two requisites for symbolic action to be effective: 1)The message has to be able to reach its intended target and 2)That target has to have the agency and the will to change the situation. By making such a thorough analysis with clear definitions, Jensen develops his argument such that you cannot disagree on grounds that he is being obscure or illogical, even if you do disagree with his premises (then again, I would defy critics to disprove even one of those 20 premises).

The conversations with the hackers and with the ex-military personnel were actually exciting, and made me terribly hopeful for the possibilities (even remembering from Volume I that hope is a waste of time). And am I mistaken or did he pretty much destroy Gandhi right around the first 100 pages or so? Are you kidding? First Buddhism and then the Holy Cow. Whether or not I agree with Jensen on this point (and honestly I haven't studied Gandhi enough to fully accept or reject Jensen's argument), I love the guy's sheer audacity.

Like I said, though, it wasn't perfect (five stars are for the content). As are all of the 5 books of his I've read, the narrative is disfocused to say the least, and a little distracting because of that. It's hard to tell if he wrote it that way, stream-of-consciousness-esque, or just sort of mixed and matched after he had completed everything. I tend to think the former. But it results in him repeating many of the same phrases and passages, themes and ideas throughout the book, ad nauseum. I love Jensen for his lack of restraint, but here it would have made his book more readable, and wasted less paper.

Another complaint to go along with the disfocus/length is that the stylistic layout of the book is wasteful. For someone who is concerned with deforestation, it's surprising that in the last three books of his I've read (Culture and the Endgames), there are hundreds of blank pages, or pages used only for a big block quote. I understand his argument that cutting back on 50 pages or so is not going to save any particular forests, but couldn't it make a small difference at least? At least if he was publishing a more physically efficient/ecological/sustainable book, he would be sending an effective symbolic message, by his own definition.

One last thing, and minor, is that Jensen mentions vivisection over and over again, but doesn't ever really go into details. What is he referring to when he uses the word? How prevalent is it? Where is this going on? Where are all of these "vivisection labs"? My understanding is that most of the egregious stuff (actually dissecting live animals to see how they tick) has been phased out, am I mistaken on this? Development of this discussion would have been helpful.

A response to those who criticize Jensen for not providing enough concrete solutions or action plans to these problems: I personally found Jensen's treatment of this issue both satisfactory and understandable. While providing a loose framework of what he thinks the most effecitve resistance will look like (whether it is small guerrilla units taking out infrastructure, hackers messing with communications, or lone activists taking out a dam), he also develops what for me was some very helpful basic strategy: "Get there first with the most" (i.e. select your battlefield/terms of argument and make them fight on your terms, not vice versa), and "Hit 'em where they ain´t" (and where it causes the most harm). Additionally there is his discussion of fulcra, leverage, and bottlenecks, all of which lay out some broad tactical patterns. He also states, which some may view as a cop-out but which I happen to agree with, that he cannot tell people specifically what to do, because part of the entire destruction of civilization has to come from people reclaiming their own agency. He implores people to use his basic suggestions and be creative with them.

My question to the critics of Jensen's treatment is: What more did you expect/want? What about this is lacking? Do you need him to tell you specifically which dams to take out? He says over and over that you have to pay attention to the land closest to where you live. Do you expect him to recommend you an ex-military guy to blow stuff up with? Do you want him to introduce you to your own personal guerrilla unit? To make a list of every single destructive activity you could perform? I'm not sure what more Jensen could have done here than what he did. With all due respect, these criticisms strike me as an excuse to avoid using your own creativity and agency to do something yourself -- which is to say, it reeks of physical and mental laziness. Jensen is fulfilling his chosen role by writing about this in the most public manner possibility. The readers, in order to hold up their end, will have to do something eventually as well -- not everything will be handed to us on a platter.

Overall, even with the flaws, I give 5 stars for the audacity, originality, and thoughtfulness of Jensen's content. Kudos and much thanks to him (and also to Seven Stories for publishing it).(less)

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Jul 27, 2011 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

I actually read part 2 of this pair before reading part 1 and they probably should be read in the right order, but hey, v1 was out of stock. This book, like part 1, is a devastating attack on civilization as we know it. Jensen's major theme draws an analogy between the relationship between our society and nature, and that of an abuser and his victim. No stranger to abuse himself, and that's graphically clear from the writing, Jensen argues powerfully against passive resistance and pacifism. His...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Matt rated it 3 of 5 stars

There’s some murky morality in Jensen’s second volume of Endgame. The first couple hundred pages are, again, somewhat rambling and continuation of a call to conscience. But then it starts to become more focused and we finally get to the purported title of the book. Assuming everything is fucked, what’s the endgame?

Jensen’s basic premise is that preservation of a healthy landbase is the primary ethic which should guide our actions. The current threat to a healthy landbase is civilization. The The...more There’s some murky morality in Jensen’s second volume of Endgame. The first couple hundred pages are, again, somewhat rambling and continuation of a call to conscience. But then it starts to become more focused and we finally get to the purported title of the book. Assuming everything is fucked, what’s the endgame?

Jensen’s basic premise is that preservation of a healthy landbase is the primary ethic which should guide our actions. The current threat to a healthy landbase is civilization. The Therefore statement is then pretty obvious.

Jensen makes a point of side-stepping any direct suggestions, but his endorsement of violence is clear. Much of his writing is designed to counter the objections of those he has encountered in the activist sphere. He rejects pacifist arguments, attacks the historical efficacy of non-violent actions and relates some of his efforts to learn what that next step should look like. Desperate times and such.

But this is where it falls apart for me. Jensen wants to tear it all down, return us to a state of nature and then let society reorganize itself in small clusters of eco-conscious communities. But the problem is just as obvious. There is no definable entity which he is resisting against. He is rebelling not against a thing or a group, but against our own natures.

We can’t go back. Despite all the sanitized nostalgia for existing in a pre-civilized state, we couldn’t get there even if everyone wanted to. Unless there is some catastrophic circumstance, humanity is not going to unlearn what it knows. Someone, somewhere (or many people, most everywhere) will eventually continue to produce, consume and build. Civilization comes out from innovation and innovation is the story of our species. And I’ll assume we are trying to save our species along with the planet. Like it or not, it has to be about responsible civilization, not destroying civilization. Otherwise, aren’t we just immersing ourselves in fantasy? A blood-soaked, ultimately oppressive, fantasy?

Jensen’s passion is engaging. He wants action. He wants results. He wants courageous stands and justice for those that plunder the future. Unfortunately, his endgame looks just as ineffective as the current game.

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Dec 03, 2011 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars

"How is it conceivable that all our lauded technological progress - our very Civilization - is like the axe in the hand of the pathological criminal?" - Albert Einstein (quote on page 663)

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Aug 05, 2011 Nick Mather added it

The first volume of Endgame detailed the ecological crisis facing us and focused on 20 premises to prove his point. The second volume considers resistance and what can be done to battle a culture that is killing the biosphere. Jensen doesn't really provide specifics, because if he did he'd probably be carted off to jail. Instead, he argues that we each find and use our individual gifts to "dismantle globally, renew locally." As always, I'm not sure I agree with him that we need to take down all...more

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Mar 08, 2008 Rift Vegan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008

Yep, civilization is going to crash. There is no doubt about it. Jensen believes that by helping things along with direct action, we can cushion the crash: More humans will survive, more species of animals and plants will make it and there will be less overall violence. The direct action he is most interested in is taking out dams, but he also mentions taking out cell phone towers, computer hacking to disrupt corporations, disrupting transportation, putting holes in pipelines and disrupting the...more

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Mar 27, 2008 Lance rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: angry drunken backpackers

Shelves: nature, anarchy, government, philospophy, politics, rewilding, apocalypse

Don't get me wrong. I like Jensen. He's had a bigger influence on me than I probably care to admit, but this book is a disaster. Volume 1 shook me. I needed it. We need it. I devoured it. 5 stars! I know people get down on him for being over the top, but I like his passion, and I like that he takes it personal. It makes it real.

That said, Vol 2 is a never ending incohesive diatribe that never should have been published. I equate this to me on a camping trip after several Sierra Nevada Big Foot A...more

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Dec 14, 2010 Py rated it 5 of 5 stars

In this second part, Jensen pretty much picks up where he left off and I must admit I was steadying myself for another hard read but I found this volume had much more hope and was really glad to have stuck with it all the way through both of these large books. Totally great book and really important for everyone to read.

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May 11, 2011 Jennifer Pavich rated it 5 of 5 stars

Derrick Jensen manages to combine logic, facts and a compelling writing style in a way that can call into question even the most revered and unquestioned of our societal values. Definitely worth reading (although you may get put on some sort of government list for buying it - LOL)

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Aug 05, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Once again, very conflicted feelings about this book -- which is actually the second half of a bigger book. Jensen is a good writer. He could use a good editor. I think he is right about a lot of things, and I think he is wrong about other things.

The things he's wrong about make me angry. The things he's right about scare the shit out of me.

I need more time to digest the book. Both volumes are now creased, worn, marked with yellow highlighter, and have notes scribbled in the margins and in the...more

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Jun 26, 2010 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, beyond

This book has a few more personal meanderings than the first volume, and a couple of parts could have been edited better, but Jensen continues strong factual and persuasive writing in this second volume. He gives more examples of the way "civilization" is messing up life on this planet and offers a few solutions.

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Jun 19, 2012 Cherie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: activism, non-fiction, eco-friendly-green-environmentalism

A- Wow. Jensen blows me away again. This book, he is teaching us how to resist civilization, how to dismantle the fuckedupedness of the world, how to stop the environmental destruction - along w the multitude of reasons why.

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Oct 27, 2007 Jen Hartley rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is blowing my mind. Derrick Jensen pulls no punches; he argues forcefully and convincingly that civilization needs to be dismantled as soon as possible because "civilization" is killing the planet. I'm glad that he writes that the process of writing this book is scaring him--it's scaring me too, but at the same time I can't help but agree with him. The logical conclusions that he draws, however, are that we should proceed to use any means necessary, ANY means, to save species and our o...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Kourtney rated it 5 of 5 stars

Again: amazing book. Haunting, horrifying, inspiring - a veritable tour-de-force addition to the radical sustainability and anti-civilization movement.

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Aug 29, 2012 Anniclaude W rated it 3 of 5 stars

Very interesting and encourages critical thinking.
However, some of the facts outlined and their sources are dubious!

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Apr 06, 2011 Matthew Taylor rated it 4 of 5 stars

would be 5 stars if it was more concise. every thinking human being should read this book.

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Apr 28, 2013 Bailey rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a tremendously thought-provoking book, and I would recommend it to any critical reader. Jensen makes many salient and creative points regarding the actions and operations of civilization. His proposed solutions are distinctive if incendiary. They are also highly unlikely to prove effective, and they are completely unreasonable (see Steven Erikson's commentary for a much better analysis than I could provide). His end vision is utopic and thus myopic, and his rhetoric in many ways bars any...more

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Nov 17, 2009 Barry Bliss rated it 5 of 5 stars

part 2 of an ass-kicking 2 part series by Derrick.

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Jul 04, 2011 Terence rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: current-events-politics, philosophy

As volume two is a continuation of volume one, I provide a link to my review of that work here.

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Dec 29, 2008 David rated it 4 of 5 stars

An argument for resistance.

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Nov 27, 2008 Menser marked it as to-read

anybody read this?

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Apr 26, 2007 SeaGreen rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who read Volume 1

The author (i've met him!) is extremely honest. No bullshit. Unapologetic. And an open heart. Civilization has to come down if we're going to save our landbase, and pacifism is a dead scene. He compares civilization to an abusive relationship, and by the time I'm done reading the book, I see no difference between the two. We are being F****d and we are F****d, and this book tries to put it in perspective, suggesting all kinds of ACTION to take. Book one is the problem, book 2 is solutions.

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Apr 02, 2008 Marcus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: conflicts-of-culture

While it wasn't the revolutionary gospel I had hoped for, "Resistance" did it's job of lighting the way. I was hoping to hear less about damns and more about collective struggle and that is the only reason I would take a star away from this guy. He's brilliant and articulate and writes (and speaks) with a style that makes you want more of his thoughts. Endgame 1 and 2 are a must read for anyone new to the concepts Derrick Jensen.

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Dec 17, 2007 Brokenmend rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: society, civilization, philosophy

addresses possible solutions to all the problems of civilization that were mentioned in the first book. namely, bringing it (civilization) down. i like the way the author approaches the subject by being upfront that individual change is not going to make a big enough difference and neither is non-violent action. those murdering the earth and its members are psychopaths and can only be brought down by forces their size....

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Jun 27, 2007 Damien rated it 3 of 5 stars

With this book, Derrick Jensen finally breaks his number one rule of writing, which is: "Never bore the reader". After reading the amazing "Culture of Make Believe", I was expecting much more out of "Endgame" (1 & 2). However, there was enough important information scattered throughout this book that I gave it 3 stars instead of 2.

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Jan 04, 2009 Geoffrey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Geoffrey by: Jayme Melrose

Derrick Jenkins is a bit of a pompous ass. He sits at his keyboard and urges others to go and blow up things. I've always had trouble taking advice from folks who don't walk their talk. Still..... He makes some great arguments. A very thought provoking book. Well worth reading (with a largish grain of salt).

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Dec 29, 2007 Burkey rated it 4 of 5 stars

jensen has a lot more wit than most in this field, although i feel a lot of this is preaching to the converted and outlining problems with out offering solutions, it should be god for anyone looking to be pissed, or anyone who needs help formulating an argument to counter annoying pacifists.

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Sep 07, 2008 Ryan Mishap rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: environment, philosophy, political-category, anarchy

The second volume purports to offer strategies for toppling civilization, but actually just continues the same as the first book. I think he naively swallows the claims of computer hackers when they talk about disrupting our society through computer networks, but the rest is good.

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About Derrick Jensen

Derrick Jensen is an American author and environmental activist living in Crescent City, California. He has published several books questioning and critiquing contemporary society and its values, including A Language Older Than Words, The Culture of Make Believe, and Endgame. He holds a B.S. in Mineral Engineering Physics from the Colorado School of Mines and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Eas...more

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Books by Derrick Jensen

Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization

Walking on Water: Reading, Writing, and Revolution

As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial

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“It's no wonder we don't defend the land where we live. We don't live here. We live in television programs and movies and books and with celebrities and in heaven and by rules and laws and abstractions created by people far away and we live anywhere and everywhere except in our particular bodies on this particular land at this particular moment in these particular circumstances.” — 32 people liked it

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Endgame, Vol. 2: Resistance (Endgame #2)

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