---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Great Transition Network <[email protected]> Date: Wed, Sep 2, 2015 at 2:00 AM Subject: Marxism and Ecology: Common Fonts of a Great Transition (GTN Discussion) To: [email protected]

From Paul Raskin <[email protected]>

------------------------------------------------------- Dear GTN, Our SEPTEMBER DISCUSSION focuses on an important new essay by John Bellamy Foster, “Marxism and Ecology: Common Fonts of a Great Transition.” Foster, the editor of Monthly Review, traces the origins of Marxian concepts, and discovers deep ecological roots that anticipate such contemporary notions as sustainable development and planetary boundaries. The way I see it, industrial capitalism spawned two powerful oppositional streams: social justice and environmental protection. For much of their history, these movements were mutually suspicious (insofar as they even heeded one another). Many social justice proponents saw environmentalism as a preserve of the elite; environmentalists found unacceptable social change agendas that failed to extend their critique to the system’s impacts on nature. Moreover, the dismal environmental record of “actually existing socialism” reinforced the perception that socialism is as feckless as capitalism. Now, Foster illuminates the historical record and closes the fissure, finding the foundations for a modernized ecological socialism that can play a key role in building an integrated planetary praxis. I encourage you to read the essay at www.greattransition.org/publication/marxism-and-ecology and to share your thoughts and questions. Comments are welcome through SEPTEMBER 30. Looking forward, Paul Raskin GTI Director NOTE ON GTI’S PUBLICATION CYCLE: GTN discussions occur in ODD-NUMBERED months, and GTI publishes in EVEN-NUMBERED months. Each discussion takes up a new essay or viewpoint prior to its publication. After the discussion closes, GTI publishes the piece, edited comments from the discussion, and a response from the author. You can review all GTN discussions at www.greattransition.org/forum/gti-forum. ------------------------------------------------------- Hit reply to post a message Or see thread and reply online at http://www.greattransition.org/forum/gti-discussions/169-marxism-and-ecology... Need help? Email [email protected] -- Check out the Commons Transition Plan here at: http://commonstransition.org P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/