1 ola sustainable innovation two themes: -ecological footprint -herbert marcuse’s critique of...
TRANSCRIPT
1
OLA Sustainable Innovation
Two Themes:-Ecological Footprint
-Herbert Marcuse’s Critique of Consumer Society
2
"Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed"
Mahatma Gandhi
3
What is the ecological footprint?
• Idea of equality of all human beings-> How many earths would we need?
Calculation method: global hectareAvailable: 1,8 haIndian: 0,8 haAmericans: 9,6 haEuropeans: 5 haFor Europeans we need about 2,7 planets
4
Let’s have a look at your own results of the calculation!
What surprised you?
What did you find helpful (or not)?
First: related to specific fields:
• Housing
• Nutrition
• Mobility
• Consuming
5
On the ecological footprint in general
• What are its limitations:– As to what it can measure?– As to what impact it can have?
• What are its benefits?
- How could it influence personal behavior?
- How can it help you designing/marketing (etc.) in the ‘green’ field?
6
Associations?
7
Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979)
• Marcuse’s criticism of consumer society
• Influence of two authors:– Karl Marx– Sigmund Freud
- Summary of this lecture will be available at the internet
8
Why Philosophy?
• Socrates (400 bc): keep asking irritating questions• Try to have a look at themes from a completely different
angle• You do not need to agree, but you need to get ‘under
their skin’ first, in order to make adequate judgments
9
Student revolts May ‘68
10
11
12
Marcuse: “What is important in life?”
13
Criticism of consumer society
• 20th century: Rat Race: working harder, in order to earn more, in order to buy more
• Do we really do those things we find most important in life?
• And if not: why not?
-> The “system” determines our desires and our priorities!
14
The Creation of needs
• The system needs economic growth
• In order to achieve that it needs constant innovation
• In order to innovate it needs insatiable customers to whom it can sell
• Therefore it creates needs
• We all want the newest, fastest, most trendy…you name it!
15
Brainwash!
• We are made to believe that we cannot do without … the newest mobile phone, flat screen, etc.
• And the worst thing is: we believe it is our own inmost desire
• “Human Technik”: with the help of neurological, psychological and marketing insights we are being “programmed”
16
One-Dimensional Man
• We all want the same; all noses point in the same direction
• Everyone who thinks different is– Reintegrated into the system– Excluded from the system
But if we live in this “Brave New World”, why don’t we resist? Why don’t we revolt?
17
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
18
Misery in the 19th century
19
Revolution!
• Proletariat: “Verelendung”– They experience every day that they are
being enslaved. Their anger grows
• Capitalists: Get richer and richer
• Result: “revolutionary potential” grows
-> spontaneous revolution
20
Situation in the 20th century
– The system has got much more smart– The working class has been ‘ecapsulated’ into
the system: “Happy consciousness”
->They want their own (mental) slavery!– Repressive tolerance: two examples
1) Demonstrations allowed
2) Pornography legalized
-> Result: revolutionary potential is effectively channeled and discharged
21
Radical contradictory society
• We believe that we are free, but mentally we are even more unfree than the proletariat of the 19th century
• We have the means to feed the whole world, but there have never been more poor people
• The system actively keeps us “deaf” and “blind” – What is a freedom fighter, what a terrorist?– What is a “surgical” operation at war time?– Why all this attention for “external enemies”?
22
Hope for the future?
• The outcasts are not yet completely in grip of the system
• Who are they?– The voluntary outcasts (intellectuals, artists, etc.)– The involuntary outcasts (handicapped, poor, etc.)
They are being “pathologised” by the system.
Marcuse: dare to believe the “impossible”, dare to search for “Utopia”, dare to live for those things that are really important
23
“Happy conscience”
24
Discussion
Central concepts as fuel for the discussion:
“What is most important in life?”“Paradigm of economic growth”“Creation of needs”“Happy consciousness”“Human Technik”“Repressive tolerance”