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by vvpan 451 days ago
Another review: https://thebaffler.com/latest/whats-the-matter-with-abundanc...
2 comments

> he last thing society needs is more stuff

The only people who say this are incredibly privileged trust fund leftists. Everyone else knows that more stuff=better life all else equal. Maybe someday that'll change but for now most people are still resource constrained. How did this become a popular take among the dem thought makers?

I think the point is that if stuff is energy then energy is flowing into the wrong things and is not equally distributed. So we have enough of "stuff" but a lot of it is the wrong kind and access to that is not democratic. Rephrased again - inefficient human organization and outdated systems of values are what is slowing us down.
Thats not what the subtitle of the review is though. It's "The last thing society needs is more stuff" which is completely different from "we have enough stuff but can distribute it better." The difference matters. Embracing growth can happen at the same time as equitable distribution.
That's a phenomenal review! I really need to go read Solar Communism
I have not read it yet, I must admit, but I like Baffler and planning on subscribing. Thanks for reading and the feedback!
Read it. Love it.