Post Growth

Our prevailing vision of social progress is fatally dependent on a false promise: that there will always be more and more for everyone. Forged in the crucible of capitalism, this foundational myth has come dangerously unravelled. The relentless pursuit of eternal growth has delivered ecological destruction, financial fragility, social instability and the biggest global health crisis in a century. What should we do when our myths desert us? How are we to adjust to a new economic normal? What does life after capitalism look like? Weaving together philosophical reflection, economic insight and social vision, Tim Jackson’s provocative thesis is that a post growth society is a richer, not a poorer one. Material progress has changed our lives – in many ways for the better. But the luxury of having can too easily obscure the happiness of belonging, the satisfaction of achieving and the simple lightness of being. A genuine prosperity demands a deeper respect for relationship and meaning than capitalism allows. Jackson’s far-reaching essay is both a manifesto for system change and an invitation to rekindle a deeper conversation about the nature of the human condition.