Social metabolism and bioeconomy Dialogue of knowledge

The general objective of the article is to characterize two analytical categories such as social metabolism and bioeconomy from the perspective of ecological economics as bridges for discussion, critique, and solution of the problems of the 21st century. The methodology is qualitative, the method is a documentary review, and its type is exploratory. The main conclusion is that to solve the problems of the present it is necessary to generate theoretical frameworks such as qualitative and quantitative methods that seek a dialogue of knowledge, since the difficulties that exist are due among other things to the way in which capitalism has mutated for the benefit of large multinationals and not necessarily for human societies with harmful effects on the environment. Therefore, Ecological Economics and Metabolisms are approaches that, being anchored in interdisciplinary discourses, can contribute to generating solutions to problems.

Countering corporate violence: Degrowth, ecosocialism and organising beyond the destructive forces of capitalism

Corporate violence is a form of organised violence motivated or caused by material interest, profit-seeking or economic expansion. It is inflicted on human beings or ecosystems. Complementing a Marxist theoretical frame with literature on ecosocialism and degrowth, we examine how corporate violence is inherent to and has been consistently encouraged by the capitalist mode of production. By drawing on the concepts of primitive accumulation and social metabolism, we visibilise how such violence is manifested within the productive forces of capitalism – natural resources, labour, technology and money. Corporate violence, we argue, may only be countered in a post-capitalist society where the productive forces are radically transformed. We build on degrowth principles to articulate how corporate violence may be countered and how post-growth organising of productive forces may look.

Marx’s Theory of Metabolism in the Age of Global Ecological Crisis

When the existing order cannot offer a solution, the solution to climate crisis must come from the radical left, and this is precisely why Karl Marx’s idea of ecosocialism is more important than ever. In this context, it is worth revisiting not only the legacy of István Mészáros’s theory of ‘social metabolism’ and that of his successors – who can be categorised as comprising the ‘metabolic rift school’, which includes John Bellamy Foster, Paul Burkett, and Brett Clark –, but also Karl Marx’s own theory of metabolism. In order to highlight the contemporary importance of Marx’s theory of metabolism after its long suppression in the twentieth century, this paper aims at classifying the three different levels of Marx’s concept of ‘metabolic rift’, which also entails clarifying three different levels of ‘metabolic shift’ as the theoretical foundation for updating Marx’s theory of postcapitalism in the age of global ecological crisis.