gaspard koenig
Gaspard Koenig, philosopher: "The ecological transformation of our imagination is underway, and it is irreversible."
https://archive.is/fapp1Today, the concepts of habitability, rewilding, and coexistence with non-human living beings are gaining ground. As anthropologist Philippe Descola puts it, "We have won." All avant-garde movements, whether scientific, literary, or activist, are moving in this direction. The 20th century is taking its time to die. Its agony is unbearable and convulsive, but it is doomed.
The agroecological transition is key. Agricultural land currently covers half of France's surface area and a third of the Earth's land surface. While we can always add greenery to cities, the majority of the decline in biodiversity, and conversely, the potential for regeneration, stems from our fields and countryside.
We must therefore rethink our relationship with humus. We must lower our gaze from the sky to the earth. Living soil is a reservoir of biodiversity, a sponge for water, a carbon sink, a diverse landscape, and even a healthy microbiota. Visually, it also means moving away from a monochrome and orthonormal aesthetic (yellow wheat, blue sky, straight lines) to appreciate a more anarchic beauty, that of spontaneous order. Finally, philosophically, it is a way to allow different species, including our own, to coexist. This is why our century must be physiocratic: the true source of wealth is the earth. By reinventing agriculture, we will simultaneously rethink society.It's too simplistic to think that abolishing capitalism would solve all our problems. Extractive industries predate and far surpass our current neoliberal madness. The Romans polluted their environment with lead, medieval peasants cleared land in unsustainable ways, and Soviet regimes were among the least respectful of nature. Our tendency to overexploit our environment is inherent in our humanity, even in our animal nature. As biologist Marc-André Selosse explains, deer grazing on young shoots or macaques gorging themselves on shellfish are simply responding to the dictates of natural evolution: short-term self-interest.
We must therefore decouple the ecological question from that of the economic system. We are seeing the emergence of a kind of ecological socialism in China. We, for our part, can invent a liberalism constrained by planetary limits, as John Stuart Mill [1806-1873] already envisioned in the mid-19th century .
Rather than relying on the goodwill of large corporations through corporate social responsibility, policymakers must establish rules or fiscal mechanisms that force the market to remain static. The circular economy and regenerative agriculture are good examples. It is perfectly possible to conceive of market exchanges without growth, by respecting a golden rule: only do what you know how to undo. Rather than vainly dreaming of transforming human nature, it is better to establish a system of incentives that harness its worst vices for the common good.
I remain committed to defending the ideal of a society that is free, open, and ecological. First and foremost, there is one heartening certainty: life will emerge victorious from all climate and ecological crises. In a few million years—a mere trifle on the scale of natural evolution—ecosystems will have regenerated, and our mistakes will be forgiven.
In the shorter term, we can clearly see the titanic struggle unfolding between two visions: that of artificial intelligence and that of living organisms. It is up to us to prove that the ecological project is not only more sustainable, but also more desirable. However, let's not fight the wrong battle. It is only when public opinion has shifted that political parties will finally take the environment seriously. The various doctrines can then be rebuilt on this foundation.
RENCONTRE AVEC #40 GASPARD KOENIG - Réconcilier nature et libertéhttps://youtu.be/rELlFaCPsgU?si=ueNWHODEALPvzoihGaspard Kœnig : Comment j’ai arrêté de croire au progrès technique - En Société du 21 juin 2026https://youtu.be/0C9ebqolvmc?si=7rtOgM0svgBXTfmj