The Politics of Total Liberation Revolution for the 21st Century

by Best, Steven

• ISBN13: 9781137471116
• ISBN10: 1137471115
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2014-11-06
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

The Politics of Total Liberation vividly articulates the crises haunting the social and natural worlds, which are coming apart under the impact of global capitalism, human overpopulation, species extinction, and runaway climate change. Steven Best contextualizes the 21st century as the decisive moment in human history wherein our actions will determine whether the future will be merely burdensome or catastrophic. Overcoming this crisis demands a new politics of total liberation that unites the disparate movements for human, animal, and earth liberation. Avoiding bravado or false optimism, Best questions humanity's ability to rise to the occasion, and dares to imagine a "world without us."

Author Biography

Steve Best is an Associate Professor of Humanities and Philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso, USA.

Table of Contents

1. The Animal Standpoint
2. The New Abolitionism. Capitalism, Slavery, and Animal Liberation
3. The Paralysis of Pacifism. In Defense of Militant Direct Action
4. Rethinking Revolution. Veganism, Animal Liberation, Ecology, and the Left
5. Minding the Animals. Cognitive Ethology and the Obsolescence of Left Humanism
6. Moral Progress and the Struggle for Human Evolution
Conclusion