Capitalism

2026/04/20

From Growth to Freedom: Ecological Ordoliberalism and the Renewal of the Social Market Economy

tl;dr: To survive in the twenty-first century, the Social Market Economy must move beyond growth as its organising principle. Its future lies not in abandoning markets, but in reordering them around freedom, social reproduction, and ecological limits.

The Social Market Economy remains one of the few political-economic ideas in Germany and, more broadly, in Europe that still carries real normative weight. It evokes a promise that many other formulas no longer can: economic freedom without social cruelty, markets without social disintegration, prosperity without authoritarianism.… Read more

2024/06/072024/12/09

Liberalism Today: A Plea for an Ecologically Oriented Liberalism

tl;dr: Liberalism must evolve to include Ivan Illich’s concept of conviviality, integrating ecological sustainability and social justice, emphasizing mutual dependence and ethical responsibility for today’s crises.

Liberalism, as a political philosophy and historical movement, strives for a free political, economic, and social order. Freedom, in turn, means the absence of constraints in making decisions between different options. In philosophy, political science, theology, and law, the term generally denotes a state of autonomy of a subject. In today’s times, given the pressing ecological and social challenges, there is a need for a realignment of liberalism towards an ecologically oriented model, in which the concept of conviviality by Ivan Illich plays a central role.… Read more

2024/03/252024/03/26

Sustainability & Capitalism

Game Over. Capitalism is over if you want it.

tl,dr: Sustainability and capitalism have complex interactions. While capitalism emphasizes accumulation and expansion, sustainability requires long-term dynamic balance for all life.

Can sustainability can be reconciled with the logic of capitalism? I’ll try to sort both terms and will also talk about post-growth and degrowth. And if we’re at it, we just might want to also talk about post-capitalism and if such a thing exists.

Sustainability. A huge word, a non-word, both under- and over-complex.… Read more