pdotb reviewed Radical Transformation by Kevin MacKay
Good on summarizing problems, rather weaker on solutions
4 stars
Worth reading for the summary of the problems we face and the jumping-off points into further literature. Also appreciated the author's framing of the economic problems in terms of 'oligarchy' as a superset of capitalism. The book rather lost its way for me, though, in the last two chapters which attempt to head towards a solution. The last chapter, in particular, spends a puzzling amount of time on Derrick Jensen and DGR, segues into a terse list of desirable features of a better society and then offers what feels like a rather hand-waving way to get there. Perhaps most disappointing, though, is the way the solutions are presented as if they aren't linked with anyone else's work. Does this owe something to Bookchin, or some of the recent ecosocialist writers? Who knows? Apparently it's inspired by Gramsci's Prison Notebooks which, I don't know, might be possible but doesn't feel quite …
Worth reading for the summary of the problems we face and the jumping-off points into further literature. Also appreciated the author's framing of the economic problems in terms of 'oligarchy' as a superset of capitalism. The book rather lost its way for me, though, in the last two chapters which attempt to head towards a solution. The last chapter, in particular, spends a puzzling amount of time on Derrick Jensen and DGR, segues into a terse list of desirable features of a better society and then offers what feels like a rather hand-waving way to get there. Perhaps most disappointing, though, is the way the solutions are presented as if they aren't linked with anyone else's work. Does this owe something to Bookchin, or some of the recent ecosocialist writers? Who knows? Apparently it's inspired by Gramsci's Prison Notebooks which, I don't know, might be possible but doesn't feel quite right. Still worth reading for the earlier parts of the book, but the latter part was ultimately unsatisfying.