Capitalism, Socialism, Ecology

by André Gorz

In this major new book, André Gorz expands on the political implications of his prescient and influential Paths to Paradise and Critique of Economic Reason. Against the background of technological developments which have transformed the nature of work and the structure of the workforce, Gorz explores the new political agendas facing both left and right. Each is in disarray: the right, torn between the demands of capital and the ‘traditional values’ of its supporters, can only offer illusory solutions, while the left either capitulates to these or remains tempted by regressive, ‘fundamentalist’ projects inappropriate to complex modern societies. Identifying the grave risks posed by a dual society with a hyperactive minority of full-time workers confronting a silenced majority who are, at best, precariously employed, Gorz proposes a new definition of a key social conflict within Western societies in terms of the distribution of work and the form and content of non-working time.

Taking into account changing cultural attitudes to work, he re-examines socialism’s historical project—which, he contends, has always properly been to lay down the rules and limits within which economic raitonality may be permitted to function, not to create some statist, productivist countersystem. Above all, he offers a vital fresh perspective for the left, whose objective, in his view, must be to extend the sphere to autonomous human activity, and increase the possibilities for individual self-fulfilment.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Ecology, Philosophy, Economics, Environment, Theory

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

André Gorz , pen name of Gérard Horst, born Gerhard Hirsch, also known by his pen name Michel Bosquet, was an Austrian and French social philosopher. Also a journalist, he co-founded Le Nouvel Observateur weekly in 1964. A supporter of Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialist version of Marxism after World War Two, in the aftermath of the May '68 student riots, he became more concerned with political ecology.
In the 1960s and 1970s, he was a main theorist in the New Left movement. His central theme was wage labour issues such as liberation from work, just distribution of work, social alienation, and Guaranteed basic income

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of points have aged well despite being 30 years old! Pretty cool how automation has increased more than anyone could have ever anticipated and we still haven’t achieved a 30 hour work week. In fact most things André warns about (social alienation, weakened unions, green capitalism, the “servant” class) have gotten a lot worse! I’m glad Mr. Gorz k***** himself before he could witness social media & the current gig economy!

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

At least from my reading this doesn't expand on either of the books mentioned in the blurb. Essay collections from thinkers and theorists are often a mess, since they tend to go over the same ground repeatedly, since each essay is written at a different time though usually for the same reasons and expectations, since one knows the person doing the writing. Basically, Gorz' question-proposal-fantasy is "work less, live more", or something similar. I would counter nothing he proposes works inside Capitalism, since the goal of that system is never-ending growth and increasing profits, mostly. If we can crush Capitalism and replace it with a more life-focused system (human life, planet-that-supports-humans life, to name but two), then we can start thinking about how work works, how we get paid for it, and how we still get the things we need without rating humans based on Capitalist ideas about value and merit and skill. I like his idea, but he doesn't do much to lay out how to destroy Capitalism, which for me is absolutely required for humans to build a more life-focused economy. How to overcome our current social, political, and individual ills is another miss here, as Gorz never talks about how the overwhelming majority of people live in a devastatingly precarious world, and how would they ever get the time, energy, or resources to build this new economic system. As expected the text is rather dated, but it is sad to realize 30 years later we are still doing the same thing even though we knew it was awful long ago.

[nonegloga]

La liberazione nel lavoro dovrebbe quindi precedere la liberazione dal lavoro – la sua “riduzione a un minimo” secondo l’espressione di Marx – poiché soltanto un soggetto che ha già sviluppato le proprie capacità creatrici, durante il tempo libero, sarà capace di attività autonome da cui dipende “la libera realizzazione dell’individualità” (Marx). È questa la tesi sviluppata, tra l’altro, da Oskar Negt: “se il progetto culturale non è parte integrale di ciò che rimane determinante per l’unità e il senso di una vita umana, cioé la produzione materiale (...), allora la società continuerà a impoverirsi culturalmente, anche se riduce drasticamente il tempo di lavoro obbligatorio”. Ma subito si impone la domanda: il progetto culturale è progetto di chi? La posizione di Negt implica, tra l’altro, che i lavoratori stessi non potranno essere i soggetti di una ridefinizione culturale del loro lavoro se non alla condizione che questo consista già oggi in una attività pratico-sensoriale di trasformazione produttiva della materia in poiesis. Ma non soltanto il lavoro di produzione è smaterializzato e lontano dall’esperienza sensibile: di più, soltanto una minoranza in declino lavora ancora nella sfera della produzione materiale.

[Peter Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a short collection of essays by Andre Gorz previously published elsewhere and generally dating to the early nineties. Without presenting a challenging theoretical read, it presents Gorz's view that the next step for progressives is to reduce the commodification of society. Reducing the grip of work over our lives by taking control of productivity improvements to reduce working time. Gorz makes the case for one form of universal basic income. He is also ahead of his time, his discussion of the nature and impact of precarious work prefigures the rise of the gig economy. Despite being 30 years old, this book has a lot to say about the state of the modern economy and the possible routes out of where we are.

[José Pereira · Rating 2 out of 5]

The interview chapter is great - Gorz is very knowledgeable and quick on his feet, and provides some good takes on strategy, neoliberalism, and the planning vs. market debate. But the rest, even though I agree with his anti-work/pro-time ideas and his vision of socialism as the gradual opening of non-market spaces, is quite disappointing. Confusing writing, unclear argumentation, and lot of repetition/hand-waving (the book could be half the size).
I really like Gorz, nevertheless, and I think that he should be widely read (CER, EaP, etc.) by the left.

[Eurethius Péllitièr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has an interesting take and one that I could both engage with, agree with and disagree with. It is worth reading for both analysis and critique

[A YOGAM · Rating 5 out of 5]

In diesem Zusammenhang möchte ich nicht nur eine Lanze für das vorliegende Buch brechen, sondern allgemein für André Gorz, der kein ausgebildeter Philosoph, sondern ein Journalist war. Gorz ist ein anregender und fruchtbarer Denker. Seine Überlegungen zur Rolle der Arbeit in der modernen Gesellschaft sind stark vom Kapitalismus und technologischem Fortschritt geprägt – eine Prägung, die häufig zu Entfremdung und Ausbeutung führt.
Für Gorz ist Arbeit im modernen Sinne eine erzwungene Tätigkeit, die Mehrwert für das Kapital generiert. Interessanterweise leitet sich das französische Wort „travail“ von einem frühmittelalterlichen Folterinstrument (tripalium) ab, während das italienische „lavoro“ und das englische „labour“ (amerikanisch: „labor“) auf das lateinische „labor“ zurückgehen, was „Mühe“ bedeutet.
Der Kapitalismus verschleiert die Ausbeutung, indem er die Freizeit als vermeintliche Freiheit organisiert und die Menschen von der wahren Natur ihrer Situation ablenkt. Die fortschreitende Technologie bietet jedoch die Möglichkeit, die Arbeitszeit zu reduzieren und den Menschen ein Leben jenseits der Lohnarbeit zu ermöglichen. Gorz plädiert für eine Gesellschaft, in der alle weniger arbeiten, um ein besseres Leben führen zu können.
Er verbindet die Kritik an der Arbeit mit ökologischen Aspekten und argumentiert, dass die Zerstörung des Planeten und die Ausbeutung der menschlichen Arbeitskraft zwei Seiten derselben Medaille sind. Gorz kritisiert die instrumentelle Rationalität, die sowohl die Natur als auch den Menschen als Mittel zum Zweck betrachtet. Es ist sinnvoll, die Industrie in den Dienst des Menschen zu stellen und nicht umgekehrt.
André NGUEMNING
Elektronischer Verweis: André NGUEMNING, A. GORZ, "Capitalisme, socialisme, écologie", Online gestellt am 02.11.2024

[Dayton Martindale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit repetitive, and I think sometimes tried to overemphasize his differences from traditional socialism. But the key insights--that we should work and consume "less and better," so as to free time to reclaim spheres of leisure, play, the home, politics, etc. from the domination of the rationality of capital (as well as to satisfy the planet's ecological needs)--are I think sound, and he presents them in a very intelligent, thought-provoking way. I also think he's compelling about the conventional proletariat no longer existing the way Marx saw it, and not being the sole revolutionary force. Good critique of why the welfare state is insufficient too. You could probably get away with reading one or two of these essays though and still getting all the main points.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prescient look at the future of Labor, Work, and the Left at the beginning of the Neo-Liberal era. Was a refreshing and clearsighted read, shining a light on many issues that break through the myths of neo-liberal economics.

[Atila Demirkasımoğlu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Çok önemli ve değerli bir kitap. Çok şey öğrendim. Ben marksist değilim. Gorz çok değerli biri.