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Louise O'Shea

The metabolic rift: Marxism and ecology

Socialism 2019

Capitalism has done more than just subjugated the natural world to the whims of the market: it has drastically distorted the relationship that humans have with the natural world. Rather than seeing human beings as a part of nature, the capitalist mode of production places the two in direct conflict with one another. This session will examine this “metabolic rift” and the often overlooked contributions of the Marxist tradition to understanding the role of capitalism in environmental destruction, and the possibility of restoring our relationship with the natural world through socialist revolution.