S03E32 - Jacob Blumenfeld on Climate Barbarism and Managing Decline

Jacob Blumenfeld discusses the concept of “managing decline”, the
subject of fossil capitalism and the implications of
transitioning away from it.


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Info on Creative Construction Book Launch:


Date: March 4th, 19h Location: aquarium am Südblock Skalitzer
Str. 6 10999 Berlin Deutschland


About the book:


Groos, J. & Sorg, C. (2025). Creative Construction -
Democratic Planning in the 21st Century and Beyond. Bristol
University Press. [for a review copy, please contact:
amber.lanfranchi[at]bristol.ac.uk]


https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/creative-construction


 


If you are interested in democratic economic planning, these
resources might be of help:


Democratic planning – an information website


https://www.democratic-planning.com/


Sorg, C. & Groos, J. (eds.)(2025). Rethinking Economic
Planning. Competition & Change Special Issue Volume 29 Issue
1.


https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/ccha/29/1


International Network for Democratic Economic Planning


https://www.indep.network/


Democratic Planning Research Platform:


https://www.planningresearch.net/


 


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Shownotes


The Centre for Social Critique at the Humboldt University Berlin:


https://criticaltheoryinberlin.de/


Blumenfeld, J. (2022). Climate barbarism: Adapting to a wrong
world. Constellations, 30(2), 162–178.


https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8675.12596


Blumenfeld, J. (2023) What was socialization. A look back.


https://sfb294-eigentum.de/en/blog/what-was-socialization-a-look-back/


Blumenfeld, J. (2024a). Managing Decline. Cured Quail, Vol. 3.


https://curedquail.com/Managing-Decline


Blumenfeld, J. (2024b). The Concept of Property in Kant, Fichte,
and Hegel. Freedom, Right, and Recognition. Routledge.


https://www.routledge.com/The-Concept-of-Property-in-Kant-Fichte-and-Hegel-Freedom-Right-and-Recognition/Blumenfeld/p/book/9781032575186


Blumenfeld, J. (2024c). Socialising Nature.


https://www.break-down.org/post/socialising-nature


Blumenfeld, J. (2024d). Welcome to the Anderscene. Brooklyn Rail.


https://brooklynrail.org/2024/07/field-notes/Welcome-to-the-Anderscene/


Angebauer, N., Blumenfeld, J., & Wesche, T. (2025).
Umkämpftes Eigentum: Eine gesellschaftstheoretische Debatte.
Suhrkamp.


https://www.suhrkamp.de/buch/umkaempftes-eigentum-t-9783518300503


Jacob contributed to this soon to be published book:
Forstenhäusler, Robin, et al. (Eds.). (2025). Klima und
Gesellschaftskritik. Verbrecher Verlag.


https://www.verbrecherverlag.de/shop/klimawandel-und-gesellschaftskritik/


Buck, H. J. (2021). Ending Fossil Fuels: Why Net Zero is Not
Enough. Verso Books.


https://www.versobooks.com/products/2735-ending-fossil-fuels


on the productive forces turning into destructive forces see:


https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1845/german-ideology/ch01d.htm


Staab, P. (2022). Anpassung. Leitmotiv der nächsten Gesellschaft.
Suhrkamp.


https://www.suhrkamp.de/buch/philipp-staab-anpassung-t-9783518127797


Felli, R. (2021). The Great Adaptation: Climate, Capitalism and
Catastrophe. Verso Books.


https://www.versobooks.com/products/841-the-great-adaptation


Malm, A., & Carton, W. (2024). Overshoot: How the World
Surrendered to Climate Breakdown. Verso Books.


https://www.versobooks.com/products/3131-overshoot


on the „Promethean Gap“:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promethean_gap


on Otto Neurath:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Neurath


on Freud’s concept of the “Reality Principle”:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_principle


Marcuse, H. (1955) Eros and Civilization. A Philosophical Inquiry
into Freud. Beacon Press.


https://archive.org/details/HerbertMarcuseErosandCivilization


on Vaclav Smil:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaclav_Smil


on the Yellow Wests Protests (also “Gilets Jaunes”):


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_vests_protests


Mann, G., & Wainwright, J. (2018). Climate Leviathan: A
Political Theory of Our Planetary Future. Verso Books.


https://www.versobooks.com/products/520-climate-leviathan


Moore, S., & Roberts, A. (2022). The Rise of Ecofascism:
Climate Change and the Far Right. Polity Books.


https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=the-rise-of-ecofascism-climate-change-and-the-far-right--9781509545377


on Marxist crisis theory:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crisis_theory


Markley, S. (2023) The Deluge. Simon & Schuster.


https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Deluge/Stephen-Markley/9781982123109


 


Future Histories Episodes on Related Topics


S03E23 | Andreas Malm on Overshooting into Climate Breakdown


https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s03/e23-andreas-malm-on-overshooting-into-climate-breakdown/


S03E30 | Matt Huber & Kohei Saito on Growth, Progress and
Left Imaginaries


https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s03/e30-matt-huber-kohei-saito-on-growth-progress-and-left-imaginaries/


S03E03 | Planning for Entropy on Sociometabolic Planning


https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s03/e03-planning-for-entropy-on-sociometabolic-planning/


S02E55 | Kohei Saito on Degrowth Communism


https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e55-kohei-saito-on-degrowth-communism/


S02E47 | Matt Huber on Building Socialism, Climate Change &
Class War


https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e47-matt-huber-on-building-socialism-climate-change-class-war/


S02E27 | Nick Dyer-Witheford on Biocommunism


https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e27-nick-dyer-witheford-on-biocommunism/


S02E18 | Drew Pendergrass and Troy Vettese on Half Earth
Socialism


https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e18-drew-pendergrass-and-troy-vettese-on-half-earth-socialism/


 


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Episode Keywords


 #JacobBlumenfeld, #Podcast, #JanGroos, #Interview,
#FutureHistories, #futurehistoriesinternational,
#FutureHistoriesInternational, #Degrowth, #Socialism,
#Capitalism, #GreenNewDeal, #ClimateJustice, #PoliticalEconomy,
#ClimateCrisis, #FossilCapitalism, #EcoSocialism, #Marx,
#DemocraticEconomicPlanning, #Market, #Adaption, #Mitigation,
#AndreasMalm, #Marcuse, #Freud, #DemocraticPlanning,
#PostCapitalism, #ClimatePolitics, #RadicalEcology,
#JustTransition, #Prometheanism