Many see degrowth as a mere dream, a project that is impossible to achieve. The movement advocates building societies based on principles that seem out of reach, such as simple living, environmental and social justice, participatory democracy, care, emancipation and sustainability.
“Degrowth is appealing, but how do you get there?” is a common criticism. If its objectives are not attainable, it is pointless to fight for them.
In contrast to this view, I invite the reader to see degrowth as already practised by all of us. From this perspective, degrowth is not a distant fantasy, but something that abundantly exists in the present.
De-economisation
In his seminal The political economy of degrowth, Timothée Parrique argues that degrowth ultimately advocates for ‘de-economisation’: “a reduction in the importance of economistic thoughts and practices in social life” in order to bring back “the economy and its way of thinking […] in proportion to its social and ecological hosts”.
Economistic ideas and practices include striving for profit, having a cost-benefit mindset and working to produce and consume more. Humans in this context behave like homo economicus, self-interested beings who act to optimally become more powerful economically and socially.
In most parts of the world, economistic ideas and practices are dominant. As a result, environmental, social, cultural and spiritual objectives, which are not in line with the economy and its way of thinking, cannot be realised.
Most contemporary problems, such as the destruction of ecosystems and the exploitation of workers, are a direct consequence of the dominance of the economy. It has also created a ‘disenchanted world’, as the sociologist Max Weber said, in which what gives meaning to life has been lost.
In contrast, degrowth advocates decreasing the importance and occurrence of economistic thoughts and practices in order to leave space for other objectives. It means that degrowth can be seen in everything favouring environmental, social, cultural or spiritual spheres of life.
Practices
From this viewpoint, we find degrowth in many instances. We find it during convivial moments such as sharing a meal or dancing together. We find it when co-operating and acting for the good of others beyond (economic) reason. We find it when repairing instead of throwing away. We find it when growing food or supporting local farmers rather than buying in a supermarket. We find it when defending a natural habitat.
Of course, many of these ways of being and thinking are not completely against the economy, as they might contain economistic objectives alongside noneconomistic ones. They might even sometimes reinforce the economic system.
For example, feminist scholars teach us that a mother who is genuinely caring for her child beyond economic reason might at the same time strengthen the economic and patriarchal status quo by enabling the future workforce to exist through her nurturing activities. The mother might also push her child to become a businessman, thinking that this is how to be valued in society.
