Description
LIFE IS NOT USEFUL
Book summary
In this brief and punchy essay, Indigenous philosopher and shaman Ailton Krenak offers a profound critique of Western modernity and its logic of exploitation. Confronting a culture that has massacred the Earth and torn the fabric of life, Krenak proposes an awakening: reclaiming the cosmic sense of existence. The reader will find an invitation to redefine what is useful, to reconnect with the visible and invisible beings of the planet, and to sustain a vital fabric that has been violated for too long.
What is it about?
The book starts from a radical premise: life is not useful. Ailton Krenak argues that the modern Western project has plunged us into a "coma," where we have reduced existence to planning, labor, and consumption. This logic has led to the devastation of the Earth and of ourselves. Waking up from that coma involves remembering that life is an immaterial flow that permeates the entire living organism of the planet: stones, mountains, rivers, plants, animals, insects, and ancestors. The work is an urgent call to abandon the obsession with productivity and to sustain the fabric that connects all beings, visible and invisible, of this cosmos.
Main themes
- Critique of Western modernity and its logic of exploitation.
- The concept of "utility" as a tool for alienation and ecological devastation.
- Reconnecting with the cosmic sense of life and the fabric that unites all beings.
- Indigenous wisdom as an alternative to hegemonic thought.
- The urgency of a profound transformation to heal the relationship with the planet.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in ecological thought, contemporary philosophy, and Indigenous worldviews. It is ideal for those seeking a radical critique of the capitalist system and modernity, as well as those who wish to explore new ways of inhabiting the world beyond productivity and consumption. It will also be of great value to students and professionals in the social sciences, philosophy, and political ecology.
What this book offers
- A unique perspective that integrates ancestral Indigenous wisdom with contemporary philosophical critique.
- A profound reflection that invites the questioning of the fundamental values of modern society.
- A call to action to rebuild the bond with nature and with oneself.
- A brief but dense work, ideal for reflective and transformative reading.
Technical specifications
- Author: KRENAK, AILTON
- Publisher: ETERNA CADENCIA EDITORA SRL, CUIT
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: Colonialism and imperialism, Philosophy, Social issues and processes, Ecological thought and ideology
- Collection: PLURIVERSOS
- Publication date: February 2023
- Number of pages: 96
- Weight: 179 g
Editorial review
This is a work that stands out for its ability to condense, in less than one hundred pages, a critique as sharp as it is poetic of the core of Western civilization. The voice of Ailton Krenak, far from conventional academicism, offers a fresh and necessary perspective for rethinking the ecological and existential crisis of our time. It is a book that directly challenges the reader, inviting them to a reflection that may be uncomfortable but is deeply liberating.