The Ecological Rift vs The Ecological Revolution; which is more accessible?

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Sat, 2011-05-21 17:40
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2dawall
The Ecological Rift vs The Ecological Revolution; which is more accessible?

I am looking for comments, mini-reviews on these two books by John Bellamy Foster, one is The Ecological Rift and the other is the Ecological Revolution. The latter has half the size of the former; does that mean it is more readable, accessible? I assume M Spector has read them both (possibly before they were published) but I would certainly invite as many responses as possible.

I ask because I am trying to encourage a family member to buy one or the other. Neither is available in the Winnipeg library system. In fact, they appear to have no books by JBF, just the Monthy Review  and that is in the section where you can never take the magazines on loan. My memory is vague but I thought 10 or 20 years ago the other magazine section have it for loan.

Anyway, any thoughts on these two titles?

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Mon, 2011-05-23 12:37
N.Beltov N.Beltov's picture

Both are undoubtedly available at the U of W and U of M libraries. Just go to the library of your choice and read the books there. Maybe a friend has graduated and still has a card?

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Tue, 2011-05-24 16:13
2dawall

Have you read either, N Beltov?

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Tue, 2011-05-24 19:45
N.Beltov N.Beltov's picture

bits and pieces but neither in their entirety i think.

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Wed, 2011-05-25 18:50
2dawall

Uh, M Spector? How about your input here?

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Wed, 2011-05-25 19:31
N.Beltov N.Beltov's picture

Foster has had parts of both books published in MR over the years. The back issues are available online. I think it is Foster, mostly, who deserves credit for rescuing from oblivion Marx's description of humanity/nature relations under capitalism as characterized by a "metabolic rift", thereby proving Marx's environmental credentials a century before such views became fashionable, and Foster followed and fleshed out the consequences of this view in great detail.

Another thing of importance is that Foster is one of (now) many political economists who show that capitalism is really incompatible with a genuinely sustainable society and that, therefore, a different sort of society is essential for human survival.

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