Toni Ruuska | University of Helsinki (original) (raw)
Articles by Toni Ruuska
Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy, 2024
The Anthropocene puts humanity within the continuum of long-running Earth processes, but what doe... more The Anthropocene puts humanity within the continuum of long-running Earth processes, but what does it mean to be violent in deep time? This article aims to redefine violence for the Anthropocene. It does so by first examining the temporal dimensions of violence, where violence is claimed to be a historic and stratigraphic phenomenon, as much as it is present, immediate, and abrupt. Violence is relational, slow, and often accumulating, but there exists also violence that is stratigraphic, which bears the witness of and that will impact organisms and ecosystems other than us, the humans, in the distant future. Second, the article links violence to violation, and shows how violence is an evaluative term. In short, this means that violence should always be treated on a case-by-case basis. Third, the article posits that the notion of violence should be extended to the more-than-human world, as other beings, habitats, landscapes, and ecosystems can be, are, and have repeatedly been violated by human actions. Following these claims, the article proposes a non-anthropocentric definition of violence as encounters entailing the use of force that violates life-supporting processes. For reducing violence in ecosystems, the article calls for a withdrawal from the industrial-capitalist megamachine and placing more emphasis on the provisioning of fundamentals of life and other collective efforts advancing an ecological civilization.
Alue ja Ympäristö, 2024
Tutkimme tässä artikkelissa omavaraiseen toimeentuloon ja uusintavaan työhön liittyviä keskeisiä ... more Tutkimme tässä artikkelissa omavaraiseen toimeentuloon ja uusintavaan työhön liittyviä keskeisiä taitoja. Tutkimustapauksena on Rasimäen kylässä Pohjois-Karjalassa toimiva Omavaraopisto. Kerätyn tutkimusaineiston ja sen analyysin perusteella omavaraistumiseen liittyy käytännön taitojen lisäksi niin kutsuttaja prosessitaitoja, joista keskeisimmät ovat tutkimuksemme mukaan kokonaisuuden hallinta, improvisointi ja resurssitietoisuus. Omavaraistaidot ovat siis omavaraistumisen käytäntöjä ja prosesseja yhdistäviä moninaisia kyvykkyyksiä, jotka ovat sidoksissa tiettyyn paikkaan ja toimintaympäristöön. Näitä taitoja omaksutaan toistojen, yritysten ja erehdyksien sekä arjen toimien lomassa, missä ne pikkuhiljaa hioutuvat ja jalostuvat kokeilujen ja kokemuksien myötä. Tutkimuksessa haastatelluille henkilöille omavaraistuminen tarkoittaa elämän välttämättömyyksien tuottamista omin käsin, mihin liittyy paljon uutta opeteltavaa, ennestään tuntemattomien asiakokonaisuuksien ymmärrystä sekä erilaisia fyysisiä ja henkisiä tuntemuksia ja omien rajojen tunnistamista.
Acta Borealia, 2024
Owing to the claimed loss of meaning in modern societies, this article investigates how the exper... more Owing to the claimed loss of meaning in modern societies, this article investigates how the experience of the sacred is disclosed in technological practices. The experience of the sacred is studied through four framings that approach the sacred as (i) extreme im/purity or sublimity, (ii) a religious framework, (iii) a sense of connection, and (iv) a cognitive experience related to skills. Sacred experiences may emerge in all technological practices, but their meaning is implied to be of a particularly fleeting kind in highly technological practicesmeasured by their increase in matter-energy throughputand prone to cause the experience of alienation. Sacred experience in less technological practices is consequently proposed to hold the potential to offer a more sustained experience of meaning. However, the proper kinds of skills are essential to reach experiences of the sacred that may serve to restore life and its purpose.
The Qualitative Report, 2024
In this autoethnographic depiction, I tell a story of change and renewal. In the narrative, I pre... more In this autoethnographic depiction, I tell a story of change and renewal. In the narrative, I present a story of personal choices and epiphanies that have changed the course of my life. At the turning point, I portray the process of learning new skills regarding food self-provisioning. I come from a privileged, but deskilled, middle-class suburban background, and the past four years has been a diverse journey of insecurity, alienation, and fatigue, but also of learning, empowerment, and self-realization. From a person with limited skills, to an at least somewhat skilled food neo-self-provisioner, I have partaken in a process of becoming, which is rich in experience but psychologically and physically demanding. The challenges of living a sustainable and ethical life, amidst contemporary societies, are plenty, but in this research the main hurdles are located in the shortage of time, and rootlessness, in the form of eroded communal bonds, lack of peer support, and broken intergenerational relations.
The Palgrave International Handbook of Marxism and Education, 2023
Education is not neutral nor impartial. Although the liberal take on education is 'the great equa... more Education is not neutral nor impartial. Although the liberal take on education is 'the great equalizer', Marxist education scholars would reject this statement under the current societal conditions. As capitalist societies are based on competition, merit, and thus winners over losers, Marxist education scholars would instead argue, like I do, that the education reflects the surrounding capitalist society, and thus produces unequal outcomes. I explore the connections between education and capitalism, in this chapter, especially through the work of the Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser. In his work the concept of reproduction is central. By portraying the reproduction of capitalism, in which Althusser's conception of capitalist education is paramount, this chapter describes education a process of capitalist subjection to dominant ideology, norms, and attitudes, or in other words, education as a process of indoctrination to the capitalist society. Because the micro world of education increasingly mirrors the logics and needs of capital, education therefore commits students for careerism and meritocratic competition, but also rewards submission, in much the same fashion that Althusser pictured capitalist education in France at the late 1960s.
Handbook of Sustainability Science in the Future, 2022
Most sustainability analyses of the future privilege the urban in future scenarios of climate cha... more Most sustainability analyses of the future privilege the urban in future scenarios of climate change at the expense of providing scenarios about the future of the rural, in part because rural regions provide the urban with most of its resources. It is also expected that urban regions will potentially account for up to 70% of the global population by 2050 so most future scenarios of sustainability focus on such regions. Given this over privileging of the urban in sustainability studies, this chapter instead presents a condensed overview of three possible future scenarios of rural areas beginning in 2050 and beyond. Each scenario correlates with a different level of possible human-caused global warming and the correlated implications of possible sustainability in rural areas depending on how hot the earth will become by the end of the century. A variety of social, environmental, and economic metrics are briefly analyzed, with their implications for sustainable futures in rural areas analyzed and discussed.
Sustainability beyond Technology: Philosophy, Critique, and Implications for Human Organization, 2021
On the basis of the chapters of the book, it can be concluded that increasing technology use and ... more On the basis of the chapters of the book, it can be concluded that increasing technology use and advancement are not necessarily a desired phenomenon. In addition to the positive consequences that we often hear about, the effects of technology are at times neutral, but often also negative. For this reason, we should always consider not only the potential of technology but also its pitfalls from various points of view, including non-anthropocentric perspectives. This leads us to abandon any one-dimensionality, such as the techno- optimism prevailing particularly in the discourses of ecological modernization and green growth, and to call for an investigative attitude in the study of technology in relation to sustainability.
Sustainability beyond Technology: Philosophy, Critique, and Implications for Human Organization, 2021
Both capital accumulation and technological development need each other, but are also conditioned... more Both capital accumulation and technological development need each other, but are also conditioned and defined by each other: to develop technology, capital is needed; to be able to accumulate capital, new investment opportunities are constantly needed (see also Heikkurinen et al. 2019b, 4– 5). As Marx and Marxist scholars would point out (e.g. Marx 1973; Wendling 2009), capital’s relation to technology is specific and instrumental in a certain way, that is, capital investments foster and steer technology and its development in a direction that favours further capital accumulation. Indeed, within capitalism, technology reflects capital’s self-image, i.e., it is instrumental, dynamic, and expansive. In addition to being an investment opportunity, technology clearly is a commodity within capitalism—a means of exchange, and a source of revenue, and profit. In practice, these things entail that technology and its development, in capitalism, are about endlessly producing and marketing new technologies involving a profit motive. In other words, in this organization, technology and its development do not have a purpose apart from the creation of monetary value. Technology is thus an instrument of capital accumulation, but capital accumulation is also an instrument for developing complex technological appliances and systems. In this chapter, this modern-day assembly is framed as the alliance of capital and technology, to highlight the intertwined relation of capital accumulation and technological development, and how they both produce conditions for alienation. Since the days of Hegel and Marx, critical scholars and philosophers have tried to understand the experience of alienation from nature, society, and the self. Although questions of technology have been incorporated into these analyses to some extent, the relation between modern technology and alienation has remained understudied until today. In this chapter, technological development and capital accumulation are discussed as key conditions for alienation. This is because both of them contribute to the lack of control and freedom in personal and communal lives, albeit in somewhat different ways, and generate personal and communal detachment from fellow humans and from the rest of living nature.
Sustainability beyond Technology: Philosophy, Critique, and Implications for Human Organization, 2021
This chapter introduces four different ways to perceive technology and technological development ... more This chapter introduces four different ways to perceive technology and technological development in relation to sustainability. These are (1) optimism, (2) pessimism, (3) neutralism, and (4) holism. In addition to and alongside introducing the four perspectives on technology and sustainability, four contemporary fallacies surrounding technology are presented. These fallacies are (1) technological development reduces environmental impacts (the decoupling fallacy); (2) technological development benefits everyone (the equity fallacy); (3) technological systems and technological development are autonomous (the autonomy fallacy); and (4) the phenomenon of technology and technological development can be rationalized entirely (the intellect fallacy).
Sustainability, 2020
In this article, we study politics as domination. From our point of view, domination, especially ... more In this article, we study politics as domination. From our point of view, domination, especially in the Anthropocene, has had two vital components-power and supremacy. In order to dominate, one has to have power over others. In addition, the politics of domination, such as colonial oppression of Latin America, has required reasoning, justification, and legitimation, often connected to superiority (because of religion, society, or civilization) from the oppressor's end. Past and present political ideologies and programs, such as colonialism, imperialism, but also welfare state capitalism, neoliberalism and increasingly popular Green New Deal are examples of what we call "anthropolitics," an anthropocentric approach to politics based on domination, power, and supremacist exploitation. In contrast to the prevailing anthropolitics, this article discusses post-Anthropocene politics, characterized by localization and decentralization, as well as a steep reduction of matter-energy throughput by introducing a theoretical frame called ecological realism.
Ecological Economics, 2019
This article aims to reconcile tensions around ‘the Anthropocene’ by reviewing and integrating th... more This article aims to reconcile tensions around ‘the Anthropocene’ by reviewing and integrating the discourses on the new geological epoch. It is argued that the Anthropocene discourses based on natural and social sciences are complementary. The anthropogenic epoch detrimental to the Earth's biodiversity, however, does not reduce to any discourse. Instead of calling to reject discourses that do not accept this limitation of language or alternatively do not show sensitivity to contextual matters, the article demonstrates how different Anthropocene discourses can be combined. The study concludes that in order to exit the epoch, anthropocentric discourses on the Anthropocene remain ineffective unless complemented by non-anthropocentric discourses.
Philosophy of Management, 2019
This article examines parallels between the increasing mental burnout and environmental overshoot... more This article examines parallels between the increasing mental burnout and environmental overshoot in the organisational context. The article argues that there is a particular philosophy of management that connects these two phenomena of overshoot and burnout, namely productivism. As there are boundaries in all ecological processes and systems, the productivist aim of having ever more output and growth is deemed absurd. It is proposed that productivity as a management philosophy not only leads to mental ill-health in organisations but also to overshoot in the environment. The article concludes that productivism, which denies the limits in utilisation of humans and other natural resources, fits poorly with circular economy and sustainability. Hence, ecological management should be complemented with a more holistic and processual view of organizations, as well as have an aim of peaceful coexistence between all earthbound objects. This signifies acknowledging and caring for human and non-human needs both now and in future by applying the idea of moderation to production of goods and services.
As a response to anthropogenic ecological problems, a group of organisation scholars have acknowl... more As a response to anthropogenic ecological problems, a group of organisation scholars have acknowledged the importance of ecocentric theorising that takes materiality and non-human objects seriously. The purpose of this article is to examine the philosophical basis of ecocentric organisation studies and develop an ontological outline for ecocentric theorising in the Anthropocene. The paper identifies the central premises of ecocentric organisations from the previous literature, and complements the theory with a set of ontological qualities common to all objects. The study draws on recent advances in object-oriented and ecological philosophies to present three essential qualities of objects, namely autonomy, uniqueness, and intrinsicality. The paper discusses how these qualities are critical in reclaiming the lost credibility and practical relevance of ecocentrism in both organisational theory and the sustainability sciences in general. To organise human activities in a sustainable manner in the new geological era, a new ontology is needed that not only includes materiality and non-humans in the analysis, but also leads to an ecologically and ethically broader understanding of ecospheric beings and their relationships.
Articles in Finnish by Toni Ruuska
Antroposeenissä ihmiset käyttävät väärin valtaansa suhteessa ei-inhimilliseen maailmaan, lähinnä ... more Antroposeenissä ihmiset käyttävät väärin valtaansa suhteessa ei-inhimilliseen maailmaan, lähinnä tyydyttäen toissijaisia tarpeitaan ja alati kasvavia materiaalisia halujaan. Yleisesti hyväksytystä ihmiskeskeisestä maailmankuvasta johtuen vallan väärinkäyttöä ei tulkita väkivallaksi vaan kehitykseksi. Elonkehä ei kuitenkaan ole olemassa pelkästään ihmisiä varten. On siis aika määritellä väkivalta uudelleen.
Books by Toni Ruuska
The Supply Chain: A System in Crisis, 2024
Supply chains are increasingly prone to systemic disruptions, such as climate change, economic fl... more Supply chains are increasingly prone to systemic disruptions, such as climate change, economic fluctuations, political conflicts, and pandemics. This chapter argues that supply chains, as integrated systems of provision embedded in the global capitalist system, are not merely undergoing crises, but are also active in constituting them. We call for greater ‘cultural sensitivity’ in organizing the anthropogenic supply of goods and services. Paying more attention to cultural practices, challenges the seemingly decontextualized Anthropocene narrative and sheds light on the multiple value-laden causes of systemic disruptions and their cascading effects. The chapter concludes that turning towards ‘culture’ in the study of supply chains could lead to a better understanding of how crises shape, as well as are shaped by, context-specific systems of provisioning.
Sustainability beyond Technology: Philosophy, Critique, and Implications for Human Organization, 2021
Current debates on sustainability are largely building on a problematic assumption that increasin... more Current debates on sustainability are largely building on a problematic assumption that increasing technology use and advancement are a desired phenomenon, creating positive change in human organizations. This kind of techno-optimism prevails particularly in the discourses of ecological modernization and green growth, as well as in the attempts to design sustainable modes of production and consumption within growth-driven capitalism. This transdisciplinary book investigates the philosophical underpinnings of technology, presents a culturally sensitive critique to technology, and outlines feasible alternatives for sustainability beyond technology. It draws on a variety of scholarly disciplines, including the humanities (philosophy and environmental history), social sciences (ecological economics, political economy, and ecology) and natural sciences (geology and thermodynamics) to contribute to sustainability theory and policy. By examining the conflicts and contradictions between technology and sustainability in human organization, the book develops a novel way to conceptualize, confront, and change technology in modern society.
MayFlyBooks, www.mayflybooks.org, 2018
Capitalism is ecologically irredeemable. It simply cannot be fixed. This is because capitalism is... more Capitalism is ecologically irredeemable. It simply cannot be fixed. This is because capitalism is based on endless capital accumulation, entailing growth in material throughput, whereas the planet Earth is finite. From this conclusion of ecological Marxism, this book continues to theorise how capitalism is reproduced in the 21st century. It is argued that the logic of capital and production based on the profit motive, competition and productivity enhancements is not enough to reproduce capitalism, but a wide variety of national and transnational institutional arrangements, repressive and ideological state apparatuses are needed as well to secure and protect its continuation. One of the most important state institutions from this perspective is higher education. Higher education has an integral role not only in educating people to become part of the capitalist production, but also has a significant role in providing knowledge, innovations and other outputs for expansive capital accumulation. Based on neoliberal restructuring of contemporary higher education, it is claimed that one of the primary purposes of higher education is to reproduce capitalism, and because of this higher education is increasingly functioning on an ecologically unsustainable basis.
Papers by Toni Ruuska
Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Apr 12, 2024
Cosmos and History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy, 2024
The Anthropocene puts humanity within the continuum of long-running Earth processes, but what doe... more The Anthropocene puts humanity within the continuum of long-running Earth processes, but what does it mean to be violent in deep time? This article aims to redefine violence for the Anthropocene. It does so by first examining the temporal dimensions of violence, where violence is claimed to be a historic and stratigraphic phenomenon, as much as it is present, immediate, and abrupt. Violence is relational, slow, and often accumulating, but there exists also violence that is stratigraphic, which bears the witness of and that will impact organisms and ecosystems other than us, the humans, in the distant future. Second, the article links violence to violation, and shows how violence is an evaluative term. In short, this means that violence should always be treated on a case-by-case basis. Third, the article posits that the notion of violence should be extended to the more-than-human world, as other beings, habitats, landscapes, and ecosystems can be, are, and have repeatedly been violated by human actions. Following these claims, the article proposes a non-anthropocentric definition of violence as encounters entailing the use of force that violates life-supporting processes. For reducing violence in ecosystems, the article calls for a withdrawal from the industrial-capitalist megamachine and placing more emphasis on the provisioning of fundamentals of life and other collective efforts advancing an ecological civilization.
Alue ja Ympäristö, 2024
Tutkimme tässä artikkelissa omavaraiseen toimeentuloon ja uusintavaan työhön liittyviä keskeisiä ... more Tutkimme tässä artikkelissa omavaraiseen toimeentuloon ja uusintavaan työhön liittyviä keskeisiä taitoja. Tutkimustapauksena on Rasimäen kylässä Pohjois-Karjalassa toimiva Omavaraopisto. Kerätyn tutkimusaineiston ja sen analyysin perusteella omavaraistumiseen liittyy käytännön taitojen lisäksi niin kutsuttaja prosessitaitoja, joista keskeisimmät ovat tutkimuksemme mukaan kokonaisuuden hallinta, improvisointi ja resurssitietoisuus. Omavaraistaidot ovat siis omavaraistumisen käytäntöjä ja prosesseja yhdistäviä moninaisia kyvykkyyksiä, jotka ovat sidoksissa tiettyyn paikkaan ja toimintaympäristöön. Näitä taitoja omaksutaan toistojen, yritysten ja erehdyksien sekä arjen toimien lomassa, missä ne pikkuhiljaa hioutuvat ja jalostuvat kokeilujen ja kokemuksien myötä. Tutkimuksessa haastatelluille henkilöille omavaraistuminen tarkoittaa elämän välttämättömyyksien tuottamista omin käsin, mihin liittyy paljon uutta opeteltavaa, ennestään tuntemattomien asiakokonaisuuksien ymmärrystä sekä erilaisia fyysisiä ja henkisiä tuntemuksia ja omien rajojen tunnistamista.
Acta Borealia, 2024
Owing to the claimed loss of meaning in modern societies, this article investigates how the exper... more Owing to the claimed loss of meaning in modern societies, this article investigates how the experience of the sacred is disclosed in technological practices. The experience of the sacred is studied through four framings that approach the sacred as (i) extreme im/purity or sublimity, (ii) a religious framework, (iii) a sense of connection, and (iv) a cognitive experience related to skills. Sacred experiences may emerge in all technological practices, but their meaning is implied to be of a particularly fleeting kind in highly technological practicesmeasured by their increase in matter-energy throughputand prone to cause the experience of alienation. Sacred experience in less technological practices is consequently proposed to hold the potential to offer a more sustained experience of meaning. However, the proper kinds of skills are essential to reach experiences of the sacred that may serve to restore life and its purpose.
The Qualitative Report, 2024
In this autoethnographic depiction, I tell a story of change and renewal. In the narrative, I pre... more In this autoethnographic depiction, I tell a story of change and renewal. In the narrative, I present a story of personal choices and epiphanies that have changed the course of my life. At the turning point, I portray the process of learning new skills regarding food self-provisioning. I come from a privileged, but deskilled, middle-class suburban background, and the past four years has been a diverse journey of insecurity, alienation, and fatigue, but also of learning, empowerment, and self-realization. From a person with limited skills, to an at least somewhat skilled food neo-self-provisioner, I have partaken in a process of becoming, which is rich in experience but psychologically and physically demanding. The challenges of living a sustainable and ethical life, amidst contemporary societies, are plenty, but in this research the main hurdles are located in the shortage of time, and rootlessness, in the form of eroded communal bonds, lack of peer support, and broken intergenerational relations.
The Palgrave International Handbook of Marxism and Education, 2023
Education is not neutral nor impartial. Although the liberal take on education is 'the great equa... more Education is not neutral nor impartial. Although the liberal take on education is 'the great equalizer', Marxist education scholars would reject this statement under the current societal conditions. As capitalist societies are based on competition, merit, and thus winners over losers, Marxist education scholars would instead argue, like I do, that the education reflects the surrounding capitalist society, and thus produces unequal outcomes. I explore the connections between education and capitalism, in this chapter, especially through the work of the Marxist philosopher Louis Althusser. In his work the concept of reproduction is central. By portraying the reproduction of capitalism, in which Althusser's conception of capitalist education is paramount, this chapter describes education a process of capitalist subjection to dominant ideology, norms, and attitudes, or in other words, education as a process of indoctrination to the capitalist society. Because the micro world of education increasingly mirrors the logics and needs of capital, education therefore commits students for careerism and meritocratic competition, but also rewards submission, in much the same fashion that Althusser pictured capitalist education in France at the late 1960s.
Handbook of Sustainability Science in the Future, 2022
Most sustainability analyses of the future privilege the urban in future scenarios of climate cha... more Most sustainability analyses of the future privilege the urban in future scenarios of climate change at the expense of providing scenarios about the future of the rural, in part because rural regions provide the urban with most of its resources. It is also expected that urban regions will potentially account for up to 70% of the global population by 2050 so most future scenarios of sustainability focus on such regions. Given this over privileging of the urban in sustainability studies, this chapter instead presents a condensed overview of three possible future scenarios of rural areas beginning in 2050 and beyond. Each scenario correlates with a different level of possible human-caused global warming and the correlated implications of possible sustainability in rural areas depending on how hot the earth will become by the end of the century. A variety of social, environmental, and economic metrics are briefly analyzed, with their implications for sustainable futures in rural areas analyzed and discussed.
Sustainability beyond Technology: Philosophy, Critique, and Implications for Human Organization, 2021
On the basis of the chapters of the book, it can be concluded that increasing technology use and ... more On the basis of the chapters of the book, it can be concluded that increasing technology use and advancement are not necessarily a desired phenomenon. In addition to the positive consequences that we often hear about, the effects of technology are at times neutral, but often also negative. For this reason, we should always consider not only the potential of technology but also its pitfalls from various points of view, including non-anthropocentric perspectives. This leads us to abandon any one-dimensionality, such as the techno- optimism prevailing particularly in the discourses of ecological modernization and green growth, and to call for an investigative attitude in the study of technology in relation to sustainability.
Sustainability beyond Technology: Philosophy, Critique, and Implications for Human Organization, 2021
Both capital accumulation and technological development need each other, but are also conditioned... more Both capital accumulation and technological development need each other, but are also conditioned and defined by each other: to develop technology, capital is needed; to be able to accumulate capital, new investment opportunities are constantly needed (see also Heikkurinen et al. 2019b, 4– 5). As Marx and Marxist scholars would point out (e.g. Marx 1973; Wendling 2009), capital’s relation to technology is specific and instrumental in a certain way, that is, capital investments foster and steer technology and its development in a direction that favours further capital accumulation. Indeed, within capitalism, technology reflects capital’s self-image, i.e., it is instrumental, dynamic, and expansive. In addition to being an investment opportunity, technology clearly is a commodity within capitalism—a means of exchange, and a source of revenue, and profit. In practice, these things entail that technology and its development, in capitalism, are about endlessly producing and marketing new technologies involving a profit motive. In other words, in this organization, technology and its development do not have a purpose apart from the creation of monetary value. Technology is thus an instrument of capital accumulation, but capital accumulation is also an instrument for developing complex technological appliances and systems. In this chapter, this modern-day assembly is framed as the alliance of capital and technology, to highlight the intertwined relation of capital accumulation and technological development, and how they both produce conditions for alienation. Since the days of Hegel and Marx, critical scholars and philosophers have tried to understand the experience of alienation from nature, society, and the self. Although questions of technology have been incorporated into these analyses to some extent, the relation between modern technology and alienation has remained understudied until today. In this chapter, technological development and capital accumulation are discussed as key conditions for alienation. This is because both of them contribute to the lack of control and freedom in personal and communal lives, albeit in somewhat different ways, and generate personal and communal detachment from fellow humans and from the rest of living nature.
Sustainability beyond Technology: Philosophy, Critique, and Implications for Human Organization, 2021
This chapter introduces four different ways to perceive technology and technological development ... more This chapter introduces four different ways to perceive technology and technological development in relation to sustainability. These are (1) optimism, (2) pessimism, (3) neutralism, and (4) holism. In addition to and alongside introducing the four perspectives on technology and sustainability, four contemporary fallacies surrounding technology are presented. These fallacies are (1) technological development reduces environmental impacts (the decoupling fallacy); (2) technological development benefits everyone (the equity fallacy); (3) technological systems and technological development are autonomous (the autonomy fallacy); and (4) the phenomenon of technology and technological development can be rationalized entirely (the intellect fallacy).
Sustainability, 2020
In this article, we study politics as domination. From our point of view, domination, especially ... more In this article, we study politics as domination. From our point of view, domination, especially in the Anthropocene, has had two vital components-power and supremacy. In order to dominate, one has to have power over others. In addition, the politics of domination, such as colonial oppression of Latin America, has required reasoning, justification, and legitimation, often connected to superiority (because of religion, society, or civilization) from the oppressor's end. Past and present political ideologies and programs, such as colonialism, imperialism, but also welfare state capitalism, neoliberalism and increasingly popular Green New Deal are examples of what we call "anthropolitics," an anthropocentric approach to politics based on domination, power, and supremacist exploitation. In contrast to the prevailing anthropolitics, this article discusses post-Anthropocene politics, characterized by localization and decentralization, as well as a steep reduction of matter-energy throughput by introducing a theoretical frame called ecological realism.
Ecological Economics, 2019
This article aims to reconcile tensions around ‘the Anthropocene’ by reviewing and integrating th... more This article aims to reconcile tensions around ‘the Anthropocene’ by reviewing and integrating the discourses on the new geological epoch. It is argued that the Anthropocene discourses based on natural and social sciences are complementary. The anthropogenic epoch detrimental to the Earth's biodiversity, however, does not reduce to any discourse. Instead of calling to reject discourses that do not accept this limitation of language or alternatively do not show sensitivity to contextual matters, the article demonstrates how different Anthropocene discourses can be combined. The study concludes that in order to exit the epoch, anthropocentric discourses on the Anthropocene remain ineffective unless complemented by non-anthropocentric discourses.
Philosophy of Management, 2019
This article examines parallels between the increasing mental burnout and environmental overshoot... more This article examines parallels between the increasing mental burnout and environmental overshoot in the organisational context. The article argues that there is a particular philosophy of management that connects these two phenomena of overshoot and burnout, namely productivism. As there are boundaries in all ecological processes and systems, the productivist aim of having ever more output and growth is deemed absurd. It is proposed that productivity as a management philosophy not only leads to mental ill-health in organisations but also to overshoot in the environment. The article concludes that productivism, which denies the limits in utilisation of humans and other natural resources, fits poorly with circular economy and sustainability. Hence, ecological management should be complemented with a more holistic and processual view of organizations, as well as have an aim of peaceful coexistence between all earthbound objects. This signifies acknowledging and caring for human and non-human needs both now and in future by applying the idea of moderation to production of goods and services.
As a response to anthropogenic ecological problems, a group of organisation scholars have acknowl... more As a response to anthropogenic ecological problems, a group of organisation scholars have acknowledged the importance of ecocentric theorising that takes materiality and non-human objects seriously. The purpose of this article is to examine the philosophical basis of ecocentric organisation studies and develop an ontological outline for ecocentric theorising in the Anthropocene. The paper identifies the central premises of ecocentric organisations from the previous literature, and complements the theory with a set of ontological qualities common to all objects. The study draws on recent advances in object-oriented and ecological philosophies to present three essential qualities of objects, namely autonomy, uniqueness, and intrinsicality. The paper discusses how these qualities are critical in reclaiming the lost credibility and practical relevance of ecocentrism in both organisational theory and the sustainability sciences in general. To organise human activities in a sustainable manner in the new geological era, a new ontology is needed that not only includes materiality and non-humans in the analysis, but also leads to an ecologically and ethically broader understanding of ecospheric beings and their relationships.
Antroposeenissä ihmiset käyttävät väärin valtaansa suhteessa ei-inhimilliseen maailmaan, lähinnä ... more Antroposeenissä ihmiset käyttävät väärin valtaansa suhteessa ei-inhimilliseen maailmaan, lähinnä tyydyttäen toissijaisia tarpeitaan ja alati kasvavia materiaalisia halujaan. Yleisesti hyväksytystä ihmiskeskeisestä maailmankuvasta johtuen vallan väärinkäyttöä ei tulkita väkivallaksi vaan kehitykseksi. Elonkehä ei kuitenkaan ole olemassa pelkästään ihmisiä varten. On siis aika määritellä väkivalta uudelleen.
The Supply Chain: A System in Crisis, 2024
Supply chains are increasingly prone to systemic disruptions, such as climate change, economic fl... more Supply chains are increasingly prone to systemic disruptions, such as climate change, economic fluctuations, political conflicts, and pandemics. This chapter argues that supply chains, as integrated systems of provision embedded in the global capitalist system, are not merely undergoing crises, but are also active in constituting them. We call for greater ‘cultural sensitivity’ in organizing the anthropogenic supply of goods and services. Paying more attention to cultural practices, challenges the seemingly decontextualized Anthropocene narrative and sheds light on the multiple value-laden causes of systemic disruptions and their cascading effects. The chapter concludes that turning towards ‘culture’ in the study of supply chains could lead to a better understanding of how crises shape, as well as are shaped by, context-specific systems of provisioning.
Sustainability beyond Technology: Philosophy, Critique, and Implications for Human Organization, 2021
Current debates on sustainability are largely building on a problematic assumption that increasin... more Current debates on sustainability are largely building on a problematic assumption that increasing technology use and advancement are a desired phenomenon, creating positive change in human organizations. This kind of techno-optimism prevails particularly in the discourses of ecological modernization and green growth, as well as in the attempts to design sustainable modes of production and consumption within growth-driven capitalism. This transdisciplinary book investigates the philosophical underpinnings of technology, presents a culturally sensitive critique to technology, and outlines feasible alternatives for sustainability beyond technology. It draws on a variety of scholarly disciplines, including the humanities (philosophy and environmental history), social sciences (ecological economics, political economy, and ecology) and natural sciences (geology and thermodynamics) to contribute to sustainability theory and policy. By examining the conflicts and contradictions between technology and sustainability in human organization, the book develops a novel way to conceptualize, confront, and change technology in modern society.
MayFlyBooks, www.mayflybooks.org, 2018
Capitalism is ecologically irredeemable. It simply cannot be fixed. This is because capitalism is... more Capitalism is ecologically irredeemable. It simply cannot be fixed. This is because capitalism is based on endless capital accumulation, entailing growth in material throughput, whereas the planet Earth is finite. From this conclusion of ecological Marxism, this book continues to theorise how capitalism is reproduced in the 21st century. It is argued that the logic of capital and production based on the profit motive, competition and productivity enhancements is not enough to reproduce capitalism, but a wide variety of national and transnational institutional arrangements, repressive and ideological state apparatuses are needed as well to secure and protect its continuation. One of the most important state institutions from this perspective is higher education. Higher education has an integral role not only in educating people to become part of the capitalist production, but also has a significant role in providing knowledge, innovations and other outputs for expansive capital accumulation. Based on neoliberal restructuring of contemporary higher education, it is claimed that one of the primary purposes of higher education is to reproduce capitalism, and because of this higher education is increasingly functioning on an ecologically unsustainable basis.
Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks, Apr 12, 2024
Acta borealia, Apr 11, 2024
Owing to the claimed loss of meaning in modern societies, this article investigates how the exper... more Owing to the claimed loss of meaning in modern societies, this article investigates how the experience of the sacred is disclosed in technological practices. The experience of the sacred is studied through four framings that approach the sacred as (i) extreme im/purity or sublimity, (ii) a religious framework, (iii) a sense of connection, and (iv) a cognitive experience related to skills. Sacred experiences may emerge in all technological practices, but their meaning is implied to be of a particularly fleeting kind in highly technological practicesmeasured by their increase in matter-energy throughputand prone to cause the experience of alienation. Sacred experience in less technological practices is consequently proposed to hold the potential to offer a more sustained experience of meaning. However, the proper kinds of skills are essential to reach experiences of the sacred that may serve to restore life and its purpose.
The qualitative report, Feb 3, 2024
In this autoethnographic depiction, I tell a story of change and renewal. In the narrative, I pre... more In this autoethnographic depiction, I tell a story of change and renewal. In the narrative, I present a story of personal choices and epiphanies that have changed the course of my life. At the turning point, I portray the process of learning new skills regarding food self-provisioning. I come from a privileged, but deskilled, middle-class suburban background, and the past four years has been a diverse journey of insecurity, alienation, and fatigue, but also of learning, empowerment, and self-realization. From a person with limited skills, to an at least somewhat skilled food neo-self-provisioner, I have partaken in a process of becoming, which is rich in experience but psychologically and physically demanding. The challenges of living a sustainable and ethical life, amidst contemporary societies, are plenty, but in this research the main hurdles are located in the shortage of time, and rootlessness, in the form of eroded communal bonds, lack of peer support, and broken intergenerational relations.
Springer eBooks, Dec 31, 2022
Globalizations, Jul 7, 2024
In this thesis, the connection between capitalism, higher education, and ecological crisis is est... more In this thesis, the connection between capitalism, higher education, and ecological crisis is established and studied. It is presented, mainly theoretically, how capitalist socio-economic structure is reproduced, how higher education contributes to it, and how this is linked to the ongoing ecological crisis. As a part of the more general discussion on the reproduction of capitalism, higher education, and its ecological impacts, Finnish higher education is taken as a specific context to be discussed. In this regard, an empirical illustration is provided to strengthen the otherwise theoretical argument to portray how the purpose of higher education is perceived in Finnish education policy documents in the 21st century. Based on existing literature, theoretical argumentation, and empirical illustration, it is argued that, as the orientation of higher education has been reformulated during the last decades, one of the primary purposes of higher education in the 21st century is to reprod...
Sustainability Beyond Technology
This chapter presents common ways to perceive technology and technological development in relatio... more This chapter presents common ways to perceive technology and technological development in relation to sustainability. These are (1) technological optimism, (2) technological pessimism, (3) technological neutralism, and (4) technological holism. In addition, four contemporary fallacies surrounding technology are presented: (1) technological development reduces environmental impacts (the decoupling fallacy); (2) technological development benefits everyone (the equity fallacy); (3) technological development is outside human control (the autonomy fallacy); and (4) technological development can be rationalized entirely (the intellect fallacy). The chapter argues that technology is a historically and contextually diverse phenomenon—there certainly are technologies, which can serve sustainability, but to understand what these are and what their use entails, any one-dimensional and/or linear view has to be abandoned.
Oxford University Press, Mar 31, 2021
Current debates on sustainability are largely building on a problematic assumption that increasin... more Current debates on sustainability are largely building on a problematic assumption that increasing technology use and advancement are a desired phenomenon, creating positive change in human organizations. This kind of techno-optimism prevails particularly in the discourses of ecological modernization and green growth, as well as in the attempts to design sustainable modes of production and consumption within growth-driven capitalism. This transdisciplinary book investigates the philosophical underpinnings of technology, presents a culturally sensitive critique to technology, and outlines feasible alternatives for sustainability beyond technology. It draws on a variety of scholarly disciplines, including the humanities (philosophy and environmental history), social sciences (ecological economics, political economy, and ecology) and natural sciences (geology and thermodynamics) to contribute to sustainability theory and policy. By examining the conflicts and contradictions between technology and sustainability in human organization, the book develops a novel way to conceptualize, confront, and change technology in modern society.
Sustainability Beyond Technology, 2021
In the chapter it is argued that both capital accumulation and technological development need eac... more In the chapter it is argued that both capital accumulation and technological development need each other, but are also conditioned and defined by each other. In practice, this entails that technology and its development, in capitalism, are about endlessly producing and marketing new technologies involving a profit motive. In other words, in this organization, technology and its development do not have a purpose apart from the creation of monetary value. This modern-day assembly is framed in the chapter as a capital-technology alliance to highlight the intertwined relation of capital accumulation and technological development, and how they both produce conditions for alienation. This is because both of them contribute to a lack of control and freedom in personal and communal lives, albeit in somewhat different ways, and generate personal and communal detachment from fellow humans and from the rest of living nature.
Aalto University, P.O. Box 11000, FI-00076 Aalto www.aalto.fi
Handbook of Sustainability Science in the Future, 2021
Most sustainability analyses of the future privilege the urban in future scenarios of climate cha... more Most sustainability analyses of the future privilege the urban in future scenarios of climate change at the expense of providing scenarios about the future of the rural, in part because rural regions provide the urban with most of its resources. It is also expected that urban regions will potentially account for up to 70% of the global population by 2050 so most future scenarios of sustainability focus on such regions. Given this over privileging of the urban in sustainability studies, this chapter instead presents a condensed overview of three possible future scenarios of rural areas beginning in 2050 and beyond. Each scenario correlates with a different level of possible human-caused global warming and the correlated implications of possible sustainability in rural areas depending on how hot the earth will become by the end of the century. A variety of social, environmental, and economic metrics are briefly analyzed, with their implications for sustainable futures in rural areas analyzed and discussed.
Business. His research project is the phenomenology of sustainability. The focus of his work is o... more Business. His research project is the phenomenology of sustainability. The focus of his work is on questions concerning ethics and technology in relation to sustainable change, and in particular in the context of food and agriculture. Toni Ruuska Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki, Faculty of Agriculture and Forestry, Department of Economics. Toni's research interests are located generally in political ecology and economy. In his post-doctoral research, he is studying the politics of self-sufficiency in food production. The take on the subject is philosophical, i.e., trying to understand what nature is and what kind of knowledge a subject can have of it, but also personal and practical. This is because sustainable change in self-sufficient food production is approached through alternative actions and the practices of individuals and communities by utilising an auto-ethnographic method.
Sustainability, 2020
In this article, we study politics as domination. From our point of view, domination, especially ... more In this article, we study politics as domination. From our point of view, domination, especially in the Anthropocene, has had two vital components—power and supremacy. In order to dominate, one has to have power over others. In addition, the politics of domination, such as colonial oppression of Latin America, has required reasoning, justification, and legitimation, often connected to superiority (because of religion, society, or civilization) from the oppressor’s end. Past and present political ideologies and programs, such as colonialism, imperialism, but also welfare state capitalism, neoliberalism and increasingly popular Green New Deal are examples of what we call “anthropolitics”, an anthropocentric approach to politics based on domination, power, and supremacist exploitation. In contrast to the prevailing anthropolitics, this article discusses post-Anthropocene politics, characterized by localization and decentralization, as well as a steep reduction of matter–energy throughp...
Ecological Economics, 2019
This article aims to reconcile tensions around 'the Anthropocene' by reviewing and integrating th... more This article aims to reconcile tensions around 'the Anthropocene' by reviewing and integrating the discourses on the new geological epoch. It is argued that the Anthropocene discourses based on natural and social sciences are complementary. The anthropogenic epoch detrimental to the Earth's biodiversity, however, does not reduce to any discourse. Instead of calling to reject discourses that do not accept this limitation of language or alternatively do not show sensitivity to contextual matters, the article demonstrates how different Anthropocene discourses can be combined. The study concludes that in order to exit the epoch, anthropocentric discourses on the Anthropocene remain ineffective unless complemented by non-anthropocentric discourses.
Philosophy of Management, 2019
This article examines parallels between the increasing mental burnout and environmental overshoot... more This article examines parallels between the increasing mental burnout and environmental overshoot in the organisational context. The article argues that there is a particular philosophy of management that connects these two phenomena of overshoot and burnout, namely productivism. As there are boundaries in all ecological processes and systems, the productivist aim of having ever more output and growth is deemed absurd. It is proposed that productivity as a management philosophy not only leads to mental ill-health in organisations but also to overshoot in the environment. The article concludes that productivism, which denies the limits in utilisation of humans and other natural resources, fits poorly with circular economy and sustainability. Hence, ecological management should be complemented with a more holistic and processual view of organizations, as well as have an aim of peaceful coexistence between all earthbound objects. This signifies acknowledging and caring for human and no...
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2016
¥ The central premises of the ecocentric organisation literature are identified. ¥ Three essentia... more ¥ The central premises of the ecocentric organisation literature are identified. ¥ Three essential qualities of objects for ecocentric theorising are proposed. ¥ The implications for ecological practice and theory are discussed. ¥ It is concluded that a new ontology is needed in the Anthropocene.