Let's look ahead to the year 2048. We don't (yet) know what the world will look like then. But we do know the direction we want: we want a social, ecological, democratic society in which a good life is possible for everyone.
"We leave the familiar world with a compass that shows us the direction we are headed and an odometer that tells us how far we are from our starting point, but without a map that shows us the entire route from the starting point to the destination. (...) While we cannot know in advance how far we can go, we can know whether we are moving in the right direction."
Erik Olin Wright (2017): Real Utopias: Paths out of Capitalism, Berlin, p. 171
Our proposed compass is based on five core values and is intended to serve as a guide for thinking about a better future. These should all be considered together.
democratization
We want a comprehensive democratization of society by 2048. Even though parliamentary democracy is a social achievement, the opportunities and access to participation within it are fundamentally limited: Firstly, many people cannot participate in democratic decision-making due to their social position and are frustrated by the political system. For example, people with high incomes and more formal education have more resources (such as time and contacts), which facilitate their active role in civil society and democratic participation. Secondly, the element of formal democratic participation is limited to a few issues and the election of parties and politicians.
But democratic self-determination means much more, namely an interest in political issues and acting together with other people, shaping life collectively (Hannah Arendt: Vita Activa).
We want everyone to be able to participate in the decisions that affect their lives.
Therefore, the vision to be designed should take the following points into account:
- Democratic decisions take place at various levels, from the neighborhood or village to the global level. They are made at the smallest possible level.
- The need to extend democratic self-determination to areas that are not currently governed by democracy. For example, to work and businesses, as well as the entire public infrastructure (e.g., technology, transport, energy, media, education, healthcare).
- Democracy can only be learned and practiced if there are many spaces where people can meet and exchange ideas. This requires freely accessible public spaces.
- In order for all people to be able to actively participate in shaping democracy, a society in which there are fewer inequalities is necessary (see the following points).
Freedom from discrimination
Today's society is characterized by unequal power relations, such as racism, (hetero)sexism, classism, or ableism. These lead to advantages (privilege) and disadvantages (discrimination). There are people who, due to their particular privileges (e.g., white/male/heterosexual/rich/able-bodied), are in a more powerful position than less privileged people. All these forms of discrimination are intertwined and intersect (hence the term intersectionality, e.g., coined by Kimberley Crenshaw). These power relations shape all areas of society, such as institutions, interpersonal relationships, and societal ideas. Accordingly, there is economic, social, ideological, personal, legal, and political power. This power operates at the institutional (e.g., laws, labor market), interpersonal (e.g., exclusion, sexual harassment), and ideological levels (e.g., norms, values, culture).
We want a society free of discrimination.
Since we reject any form of discrimination, the vision to be developed should take the following points into account:
- No one should be excluded, disadvantaged or privileged because of racism, (hetero)sexism, classism, ableism or other forms of discrimination.
- All people have real opportunities to participate and influence a much more equal society, regardless of their social position.
- The commitment to equality at all levels and against all forms of exclusion is actively pursued as a central social goal – in politics, in the workplace, in schools, and on the sports field.
- Equal representation and division of labor in all areas of society – such as coordination tasks, media and culture…
Social justice and participation
Today, society—especially global society—is deeply divided: unimaginable wealth in the hands of a few contrasts with massive poverty among many. The gap is widening ever wider. Even though most people in Europe and Germany benefit from the globally enforced "imperial way of life," inequality here is also enormous and growing. This not only contradicts social justice as a value in itself, but it also deepens the disparities in power relations. The extremely unequally distributed ownership of capital, housing, land, and the means of production is contrary to equal participation in society and is profoundly undemocratic.
In addition to property, labor is also unequally distributed. This is especially true for care work, which is often ignored in the political and economic spheres, poorly paid, and still primarily performed by female and migrant people.
We want comprehensive social justice, that is, equal social participation for all.
Therefore, the vision to be designed should take the following points into account:
- Social justice, from the local to the global level, requires a massive redistribution of social wealth, both within and between societies.
- This also includes the reappropriation and democratization of (parts of) private property.
- In order to enable all people to participate fully in society, comprehensive public services must be guaranteed for all.
- Care activities must be recognized as fundamental foundations of human life and distributed equally among all people. It is society's responsibility to make this possible.
Ecological justice and sustainability
The existing relationship between humans and nature is characterized by appropriation and domination. Current economic activity is based on massive exploitation of nature to generate profits and enable modern, resource-intensive lifestyles. Continuing increases in emissions, species extinction, and the destruction of ecosystems are the result of growing resource consumption. This primarily benefits companies, people in the early industrialized countries, and the global middle and upper classes. In contrast, it is primarily the materially poor who are negatively affected worldwide. In most cases, they lack the financial resources to protect themselves against the consequences of climate change, soil degradation, or the destruction of ecosystems.
In order to preserve the natural foundations of life in the long term and for all living beings, we want a socio-ecological transformation of all areas of society.
Therefore, the vision to be designed should take the following points into account:
- The preservation of ecological livelihoods and needs-oriented care relationships must be a priority in decisions in all political and economic fields and in people's everyday lives.
- Less resource consumption and fewer emissions harmful to the climate and health, and the fastest possible phase-out of all fossil fuels (post-extractivism).
- This requires a fundamental restructuring and a reduction of production and consumption in many areas of society, especially in the Global North (anti-productivism).
- Global climate and environmental justice means both an acknowledgment of climate guilt and the unequal responsibility for action, as well as an end to the destruction of the environment by the global North. Effectively combating climate and environmental injustice requires social and sustainable solutions that go beyond technical measures and market-based mechanisms.
- De-globalization and open localization are intended to lead to a massive reduction in transport emissions. The goal here is to produce as many goods as possible locally, thus avoiding product chains that span the globe. At the same time, the approach emphasizes an open, cosmopolitan, solidarity-based, and cooperative approach to the outside world.
Good life for all
In addition to the material or physical conditions mentioned above, for a positive vision of the future we should also ask ourselves: What makes life worth living? And what, in contrast, causes alienation and fear?
In today's society, not only social inequalities, power relations, and the destruction of nature stand in the way of a good life, but also many other constraints and crises inherent in modern capitalist societies. Many people in the work-based society, for example, pursue activities that they themselves consider meaningless, unnecessary, or harmful ("bullshit jobs"). The acceleration and intensification in all areas of life exacerbates alienation from oneself, from one's own actions, and from others. This triggers stress, burnout, and dissatisfaction in many people and leads to a permanent crisis in care activities.
At the same time, our economic system leads to financial fears – fear of job loss, poverty in old age and social decline, while the competition-based state system leads to fear of military conflicts.
Ultimately, digital technologies enable unprecedented global reach, but also lead to ever-faster communication, isolation, constant surveillance, measurement, and a focus on efficiency in everyday life. The reach in the modern world seems infinitely expandable, but there is a lack of resonance (Hartmut Rosa).
We want a society that enables people to lead self-determined, worthwhile, joyful and good lives.
Therefore, the vision to be designed should take the following points into account:
- Time wealth should be viewed as an important, intangible component of prosperity. Time wealth means having time at one's disposal and using it independently for things that are important to one's individual. It's about taking relationships, play, creative activities, sports, pleasure, and leisure seriously as important resources for a good life.
- Individual and societal self-determination—that is, the ability to decide, oneself and with others, on the central issues of one's own life without this coming at the expense of others—is an important part of a good life. Technologies and institutions should enable and strengthen this.
- The society we strive for must provide stability and security for all people, so that people do not have to fear violence, poverty, exclusion or the consequences of the next economic or political crisis.
Transformation
The vision we want to develop in this project will be just one of many. It remains crucial to acknowledge other emancipatory approaches and position ourselves within a broad field. Because we are not certain that we have the best vision, and we envision socio-ecological transformation in many different ways.
We do not understand socio-ecological transformation as an end state, but rather as a process characterized by diverse conflicts that should be designed in a grassroots-democratic manner as possible. It is taking place step by step on the basis of changes already realized and through revolutionary Realpolitik (Rosa Luxemburg). This aims at a fundamental change in the functional logic of society, but does not necessarily lead to a radical break. A radical break towards a socio-ecological transformation is very unlikely under current conditions and is generally associated with unforeseeable consequences. At the same time, reforms within the system are not sufficient to achieve the above-mentioned goals. Therefore, we are committed to
"To build emancipatory alternatives to the spaces and cracks within capitalist economies and at the same time to fight for the defense and expansion of these spaces“ (Erik Olin Wright 2017).
The vision we're developing together should unite struggles. It should give people the courage and strength to work for transformation so that it can become a reality.
