Richard Greeman’s Ecosocialist Book Tour Schedule
UK November 2008
Please forward via Green and Left networks
Richard Greeman, the U.S. writer and longtime socialist / social activist, will be touring Britain this November speaking to Green groups on the topic: “Capitalist and Ecological Collapse: An Eco-socialist Solution.” He will also be presenting his new book Beware of Vegetarian Sharks, a sharp-witted collection of Radical Rants and Internationalist Essays, Illustrated (Praxis 2008). Greeman, who is based in France, is best known in Britain for his work on Victor Serge, the Franco-Russian novelist and revolutionary. Greeman’s translation with introduction of Serge’s posthumous novel, Unforgiving Years (NYRB Classics 2008) appeared this Spring.
Contact: eurojournalistes@laposte.net
Dates: (As of November 2nd. For updates please contact eurojournalistes@laposte.net )
LONDON
Fri. 7 Nov: ”Victor Serge: Committed Writer” University of London, Dept. of French, room 108, Malet Place, WC1, opposite Waterstone’s Bookshop.
Sat. 8 Nov: ” From Capitalist Ecoside to Ecotopia: A future vision based on Historical Materialism, Emergence theory and Castoriadis’ Contenu du socialisme.“ Historical Materialism Conference, Panel on UTOPIANISM. 11:45 am Brunei Building opposite main entrance to SOAS rm B 104.
Mon 10 Nov: Capitalist and Ecological Collapse: An Ecosocialist Solution” at 7.30 pm in the upstairs meeting room at “The Goose on the Green” pub in Catford. Sponsored by Alliance for Green Socialism
Fri. 21 Nov: “Capitalist and Ecological Collapse: An Ecosocialist Solution” 7.30pm at the Lucas Arms, Kings Cross, sponsored by Alliance Green Socialism
LIVERPOOL
Wed 12 Nov: “Be Utopian, Demand the Realistic” 7:30 pm at the CASA Bistro Bar on Hope Street opposite Philharmonic Pub
GLASGOW: For information update contact eurojournalistes@laposte.net
EDINBURUGH
Sun. Nov. 16: “Victor Serge’s Ecological Vision,” Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, 7:00 PM
Mon. Nov. 17: ”The Revolutionary KIT: build your own invisible international,” Edinburgh University Chaplaincy, 7:00 PM.
NEWCASTLE
Tues. 18 Nov: “Is There Hope After Capitalism?” (Ecosocialism versus Capitalist Ecocide) at 6:00 pm Tyneside Irish Center, 43-49 Gallowgate.
LONDON
Fri. 21 Nov: “Capitalist and Ecological Collapse: An Ecosocialist Solution” 7.30pm at the Lucas Arms, Kings Cross, sponsored by Alliance Green Socialism
OXFORD
Mon. 24 Nov: “Capitalist and Ecological Collapse: An Ecosocialist Solution” 7:30 pm Committee Room, Wolfson College, Oxford.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Bibliography: To see covers, blurbs, and free downloads of Dangerous Shortcuts and Vegetarian Sharks go to www.lulu.com/content/923573For Richard’s recent translation of Serge’sUnforgiving Years (NYRB Classics 2008) http://www.nybooks.com/shop/product?usca_p=t&product_id=7159
Biography: Richard Greeman studied at Yale College (where he became a socialist), the Sorbonne (where he was active with Socialisme ou Barbarie) and at Columbia University (where he was awarded his PhD in May, 1968 while occupying the University as one of the radical leaders of the student strike). Along with writing and translating, Greeman has been active since 1957 in civil rights, anti-war, anti-nuculear, pro-ecology and labour struggles in the U.S., France, Latin America. He is Secretary of the Victor Serge Foundation and is one of the founders of the Praxis Research and Education Center in Moscow. www.praxiscenter.ru
“Ecosocialism is a bet you can’t refuse. Global capitalism in it death crisis is structurally unable to halt ecocidal productivism and the looting of the environment for quick profit. As a result, the planet is likely to become uninhabitable in two or three generations as tendencies like global warming, nuclear proliferation, endless war, flooding, epidemics, food shortages, air/water pollution and destruction of human communities increasingly combine in destructive synergy.
If there remains a marginal (say 1 in 100) chance for human society to survive, it would entail replacing the competitive profit system with a planetary network of producers — a cooperative commonwealth or democratic socialism. Against the near certainty of planetary catastrophe under capitalism, we must bet on the unlikely dream of a harmonious, healthy ecosocialist world. The `Ecotopian Bet’ is one we can’t refuse.
Let us then begin by dreaming the dream, by imagining a technically feasible, ecologically sustainable post-capitalist future and historically possible roads leading to it. One such road, based on theories of cybernetics, chaos, emergence and an idea of Cornelius Castoriadis, I call the New Archimedes Lever. It involves connecting the historically proven lever of solidarity with a philosophical fulcrum (planetary consciousness) and a global electronic platform (the Internet) in order to `lift the earth’ before it succombs to capitalist ecocide.
“Global capitalism is structurally incapable of halting ecocidal productivism and the looting of the environment for quick profit. As a result, the planet is likely to become uninhabitable within decades as tendencies like global warming, nuclear proliferation, flooding, epidemics, food shortages, air/water pollution , endless war and destruction of human communities increasingly combine in destructive synergy.
If there remains a marginal (say 1 in 100) chance for human society to surviv e, it would entail a complete break: replacing the competitive profit system with a planetary network of producers , a global cooperative commonwealth. Against the near certainty of planetary catastrophe under capitalism, we have no choice but to bet on the unlikely dream of a harmonious, healthy ecosocialist world. The `Ecosocialist Bet’ is a bet we can’t refuse.
There can be no future without a dream, no progress without the hope of Utopia. So let us then begin now by trying to imagine a technically feasible, ecologically sustainable post-capitalist future and visualizing historically possible roads leading to it. The ‘New Archimedes’ hypothesis – based on theories of cybernetics, chaos, emergence and Castoriadis’ Content of Socialism – connects a historically proven lever of worker solidarity and a 21st Century philosophical fulcrum (planetary consciousness) and a global electronicplace to stand (the Internet) where the billions can unite in solidarity in order to lift the earth’ before it succumbs to capitalist ecocide.”
– Richard Greeman
Posted here by Glenn Rikowski
The Rikowski web site, The Flow of Ideas is at: http://www.flowideas.co.uk
