The Outrage of the Human: Ecological dimension of Marx’s Idea of Freedom

The Outrage of the Human: Ecological dimension of Marx’s Idea of Freedom

The September 20 Global Climate Strike brought out millions of youth and their supporters all over the world, expressing their outrage at the adult world incapable of acting on the unfolding, human generated catastrophe being visited on the planet’s interdependent biosphere out of which humanity itself emerged.

Young Greta Thunberg followed with a passionate September 23 speech at the UN where she said “People are suffering. People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction. And all you can talk about is money and fairytales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! For more than 30 years the science has been crystal clear.”

How did Marx’s concept of freedom as human essence address nature? Can it help address our multi-faceted political-philosophic crises? To paraphrase Marx: “Whence arose such an impasse to making rational choices about the total threat human life activity bought to the life sustaining capacity of the planet?”

Niebyl-Proctor Library, upstairs
6501 Telegraph Ave., Oakland
Sunday, October 13
6:30 - 8:30 pm