Growth Fetish

I found this book satisfying for a number of reasons Firstly, it was lucidly written and clearly explained, with the structure but not the jargon of academia An excellent combination Secondly, it brought together a great many thoughts I d seen articulated elsewhere and or thought myself in a cohesive whole Thirdly, I agreed with basically everything in it The discussions of feminism could have been nuanced, otherwise I think Hamilton got it right It is incredibly unusual for a book about econom [...]

Agree almost entirely with the thesis of this robin The pursuit of economic growth by governments and the public s blind pursuit of happiness via consumption is a grave problem that will need to be reformed if our species is to carry on a meaningful existence Only gave it three stars because it is at times repetitive and often very dry.

Very convincing in his argument for the personal and social benefits of simplifying life, but does not address the larger question of how we are to achieve a scaled down society without creating a lot of problems in the meantime It is, perhaps, significant that the author is Australian and thus does not have to deal with the US problem of health care being tied to a 40 hour week job with a large corporation Personal fulfillment in the USA is a luxury open only to those with the financial ability [...]

A seminal work in building the movement toward a truly sustainable world of post growth, steady state economy, and the rejection of rampant consumer capitalism and instrumentalist vision of the natural world.

I really wanted to like this book and found it to be very good at giving an overall critique of the consumerist, growth oriented society that virtual the entire globe is building However, I agree with some of the other readers that the evidence presented in the book does not do a particularly good job at supporting the arguments made within I already agreed with much of the overall thesis of the book and found many of the insights thought provoking and worth further investigation, but I am afrai [...]

This book is essential reading for those of us wondering if the world is getting crazier or if we are becoming curmudgeons as we enter our middle age

I found reading this book a disturbing experience Not because it revealed things I was unaware of, but because it limits the things I am aware of within a frame of language and persisting divisions which are unhelpful to bring about the required insight to lead to effective change.What disturbs me is that the intelligence and energy required to bring about such change, or at least play a large part within it, seems to be wasted in so many inappropriate or inadequate studies and analyses.There is [...]

27th book for 2016.I was quite disappointed with this book There are certainly some interesting ideas here, but most seem pretty woolly The book conflates growth and consumption While a growth society may imply ever greater consumption a set state economy doesn t imply that consumer consumption should cease or for that matter that it is bad Just from a practical point of view it would be far easier to convince people of the virtues of a post growth economy if at the same time you don t unnecessa [...]

Across the mainstream political spectrum, from liberal to conservative , by Republicans and Democrats, it is accepted without question that growth economic growth is a good, indeed that it is the good the measure of the success of a social or political system Clive Hamilton dares to question, and indeed dismantle, this assumption in Growth Fetish Not only will endless growth inevitably collide with the constraints of a finite world Hamilton adduces evidence that it has not been very effective in [...]

This is an extremely important book that I think everyone should read The first 4 chapters provide a very effective demolition of the current capitalist consumerist growth obsession that pervades every inch of our lives The book as a whole is highly readable, insightful and engaging There s very little here that I don t agree with or does not make sense to me apart from some of the feminism discussion which could have been nuanced I feel.I only gave it 4 stars because I feel at times Hamilton i [...]

Incredible book.

brilliant

In my view this is a must read for all those climate change deniers out there.Check out my full review at OurBookClub

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