Less is MOre
London: Penguin Random House
“A powerfully disruptive book for disrupted times. Jason Hickel takes all we've been told about growth and development and turns it inside out, offering instead a radically possible vision of a post-growth future. If you’re looking for transformative ideas, this book is for you.”
— Kate Raworth, economist and author of Doughnut Economics
The world has finally awoken to the reality of climate breakdown and ecological collapse. Now we must face up to its primary cause. Capitalism demands perpetual expansion, which is devastating the living world. There is only one solution that will lead to meaningful and immediate change: degrowth.
If we want to have a shot at halting the crisis, we need to slow down and restore the balance. We need to change how we see nature and our place in it, shifting from a philosophy of domination and extraction to one that’s rooted in reciprocity and regeneration. We need to evolve beyond the dogmas of capitalism to a new system that’s fit for the twenty-first century.
But what about jobs? What about health? What about progress? This book tackles these questions and offers an inspiring vision for what a post-capitalist economy could look like. An economy that’s more just, more caring, and more fun. An economy that will not only lift us out of our current crisis, but also restore our sense of connection to a world that's brimming with life. By taking less, we can become more.
Interviews
“Ecosocialism is the horizon, degrowth is the way”, The Trouble
“On the cult of growth”, Il Manifesto
”Capital behaves like a virus”, Arbeit & Wirtschaft
”Degrowth is about global justice”, Green European Journal
”Europe’s growth has always relied on appropriation from the South,” ID4D
”After the crisis, we can have a recovery without growth,” ID4D
”There is no such thing as green growth,” De Volkskrant
”Capitalism is a totalitarian system,” VN Netherlands
Praise for Less is More
“A masterpiece… Less is More covers centuries and continents, spans academic disciplines, and connects contemporary and ancient events in a way which cannot be put down until it’s finished. So much needs to change; although beginning that change might require nothing more than asking the right question.”
— Danny Dorling, Professor of Geography, University of Oxford
“Jason Hickel shows that recovering the commons and decolonizing nature, cultures, and humanity are necessary conditions for hope of a common future in our common home. By extracting less we leave more for other species, other people and future generations, thus creating well-being for all. In an ecologically interconnected world, less is more.”
— Vandana Shiva, philosopher of physics and author of Making Peace with the Earth
“This is a book we have all been waiting for. Jason Hickel dispels ecomodernist fantasies of ‘green growth’. Only degrowth can avoid climate breakdown. The facts are indisputable and they are in this book.”
— Giorgos Kallis, Professor of Ecological Economics and author of Degrowth
“Capitalism has robbed us of our ability to even imagine something different; Less is More gives us the ability to not only dream of another world, but also the tools by which we can make that vision real.”
— Asad Rehman, Director of War on Want
“One of the most important books I have read. Less is More calmly dismantles the central myths of capitalism, exposing its destructive madness for all to see. It then does something extremely rare: it outlines a clear path to a sustainable future for all. A manifesto for movements and a manual for policymakers, everyone needs to understand its urgent message.”
— Raoul Martinez, author of Creating Freedom
“Jason Hickel takes us on a profound journey through the last 500 years of capitalism and into the current crisis of ecological collapse. He lays out how we can transition to a post-capitalist economy, but also reminds us that there are other ways of knowing and being that hold the secret to a better world. Less is More is required reading for anyone interested in what it means to live in the Anthropocene, and what we can do about it.”
— Alnoor Ladha, co-founder of The Rules
"It’s a rare political economist who can tease hope from the abundance of data around planetary collapse. But Jason Hickel has done more than that. A manifesto for the future of the planet packed with scholarship, yet as easy to read as a beach novel, a perfect antidote to doomscrolling."
— Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved
Foreign translations:
France: Hachette Marabout (2021)
Italy: il Saggiatore (2021)
Poland: Karakter (2021)
Holland: EPO (2021)
Germany: Oekom Verlag (2021)
Korea: Changbi (2021)
Czechoslovakia: Host (2021)
China: Science and Technology Press (2021)
Turkey: Metis (2021)
Japan: Toyo Kezai (2021)
Spain: Capitan Swing (2023)