John Bellamy Foster

Foster’s goal is not to reinterpret Marx in light of present day ecological thinking; such an exercise would be of little value. Nor is an examination of Marx’s social ecological thought merely to underscore the fact that the relationships between humans and Nature were at the heart of Marx’s analysis. While such underscoring may be valuable in more fully understanding Marx’s thought and thus important for contemporary Marxist theorists, social scientists, and historians, it would hold little relevance if it were confined to such a narrow purpose. Rather, the real value in examining Marx’s social ecology is in bringing Marx to the serious attention of ecologists themselves; ecologists who have failed to appreciate the implications of Marxist theory for understanding the ecological crises of our time.


Study Questions:

Address the following questions fully and completely in your own words and voice; save your answers electronically. You will see at least one of these questions on your next unit exam in which you will be asked to demonstrate that you have read and mastered the material. Prepare your answers now.

According to Foster, what is the major cause of the environmental destruction around us?

In what ways has our production system become hostile to the environment?

What is the relationship between capitalism and imperialism?

According to Foster, why has American imperialism been unleashed in the 1990s?

Discuss Fosters' analysis of the 911 attacks. How does this fit in with the nation's current view?

According to Foster, why did America go into Iraq?    How has his analysis held up in recent years?

Read:

Chapter 3: John Bellamy Foster’s Ecological-Marxism in in Macrosociology: The Study of Sociocultural Systems.

John Bellamy Foster's Ecological Marxism

Recommended:

Review of Ecology Against Capitalism

Bibliography:

Foster, J. B. (2007, August 15). About Foster. (F. Elwell, Interviewer)

Foster, J. B. (2002). Ecology Against Capitalism. New York: Monthly Review Press.

Foster, J. B. (1998). Introduction to the 1998 Edition of Monopoly Capital. In H. Braverman, Labor and Monopoly Capital: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century (pp. ix-xxiv). New York: Monthly Review Press.

Foster, J. B. (2000). Marx's Ecology: Materialism and Nature. New York: Monthly Review Press.

Foster, J. B. (2006). Naked Imperialism: The U.S. Pursuit of Global Dominance. New York: Monthly Review Press.

Foster, J. B. (1999). The Vulnerable Planet. New York: Monthly Review Press.

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