Grégoire Chambaz
16 Juin 2019
Summary: Faced with future challenges and the risk of societal collapse, voluntary simplification is regularly presented as a difficult but functional solution. Its aim would be to make societies more sustainable by reducing the overall consumption of resources. But is it really a feasible or even credible strategy? To answer this question, this conference explores the ins and outs of voluntary simplification. In particular, the viability of this strategy will be analysed in the light of J.A. Tainter’s reflections on the evolution of societies. This critique will then invite us to consider the blind spots in sustainability thinking, including the functioning of elites and competition.
Grégoire Chambaz is deputy editor of the Swiss Military Review (RMS), an officer in the Swiss army (captain) and a specialist in sustainability. His current research focuses on the collapse processes of complex societies, existential risks and dangers, and the security impacts of anthropocene trajectories.
