We have lost the perspective and humility to see ourselves as one very young species in the billion year timeline of life on earth. Through the arrogance of extraction, we have lost touch with collective humility. In the rush of rationalisation, we have lost touch with collective empathy.
This essay delves into the pivotal relationship between philanthropy and social movements, challenging traditional paradigms. Emphasizing the need for philanthropy to move beyond mere funding and engage in true allyship with movements, the authors envision a praxis of solidarity philanthropy rooted in liberation.
In this two-part essay, Ladha and Murphy track the rise of the Effective Altruism and Longtermism movements, and their current influence shaping philanthropy and policy. The essay reveals how the underlying logic and approaches of these “extreme rationalists” is structured to avoid addressing the root causes of social issues.
Delving into the systemic roots of capitalism contributing to the metacrisis, economic anthropologist Jason Hickel advocates for a revolutionary shift towards Democratic Ecosocialism, proposing the democratization of finance and production; universal access to essential services; and re-prioritizing well-being and ecology as the primary aims of the political economy.
A Lakota elder challenges the prevailing Western notions of ownership and wealth by advocating for a return to the holistic understanding of existence found in Indigenous cultures. He emphasizes the importance of unlearning Western ideologies of possession and relearning Indigenous ways of being, which prioritize community, reciprocity, and harmony with the Earth.
Moving beyond the narrow metrics and techno-utopian fantasies of the Effective Altruism and Longtermism movements, and through a systemic and historical lens, Part Two of this essay advocates for an alternative logic, one expressed through a post-capitalist approach to philanthropy.
In this reflective essay, funder-activist Justine Epstein explores the moral and spiritual implications of inheriting wealth in the context of late-stage capitalism and ecological collapse, inviting us to contemplate the possibilities of healing, liberation, and reshaping wealth for a more post capitalist future.
Dr. Báyò Akómoláfé explores how mainstream critiques often fall short by focusing on surface-level diversity and inclusion, rather than addressing deeper structural issues rooted in white coloniality and neurotypicality. Ultimately, he calls for a paradigm shift in philanthropy towards a more fluid, experimental, and emancipatory approach.
Daniel | Since I started this whole journey...it's felt to me that there is the potential that we, in this lifetime, can somehow make a kind of quantum, mutational leap into another dimensional realization.
"In an attempt to keep us feeling individualized and separate from the land-metabolism, modernity takes away our sense of the unquestionable value of life and instead creates a fundamental void that we associate with worthlessness. To feel a temporary sense of self-worth, we are made to produce stuff that modernity recognizes as valuable. To feel a sense of completion, we are made to accumulate stuff that we believe can fill the void.”