Age of Disaster
'Age of disaster' is the term used by cultural philosopher and activist Lieven de Cauter to describe our disastrous age marked by its mounting crises, dramatic conflicts, growing inequality and the dissolution of final certainty. Jean Russell calls it 'Breakdown Thinking' and proposes 'Breakthrough Thinking' in its place. Don Michael called it 'the New Wilderness' and IFF calls it a 'conceptual emergency' and proposes 'practical hope and wise initiative'. But, talking about the Age of Disaster, perfmts.net ask:"where to start rescuing when liaisons dangereuses are starting to get out of hand in all spheres – in politics, in the economy and in society? In global finance capitalism, the culture of collective sharing is being marginalised, with egoism and destruction being the dominant driving forces and desperation and melancholy the consequences for the individual. “Melancholia”, according to the philosopher Giovanni Leghissa, is the final consequence of the impossibility of articulating needs other than economic ones and indeed of distinguishing between economy and politics at all. What is wrong with the economy? The ratio economica as the sole, generally accepted meaningful principle makes a utopian project of a society which guarantees human rights and allows everyone to share equitably in social profits. Countering such abstract speculations, the sociologist Erik Olin Wright suggests provocative “Real Utopias” that seek to redesign social institutions fundamentally and specifically: education for all, minimum wages and truly democratic decision-making processes. " References: Lieven de Cauter Breakdown Thinking Breakthrough Thinking IFF ~ Ten Things to Do in a Conceptual Emergency perfmts.net Jean Russell - Thrivability |
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