Enough is enough

摘要

How much is enough? This is a question that is almost never asked in conventional discussions about the economy and society. The tacit assumptions are that there is never enough, that growth must continue indefinitely, and that, as Robert Heilbroner once put it: "the flow of goods and services consumed by everyone constitutes the ultimate aim and end of economic life". These assumptions are now so ingrained that to question them seems blasphemous, but a little research shows that they are fairly recent (post-Second World War) and are ultimately counterproductive in a finite (and full) world. Thomas Princen, associate professor of international natural resources and environmental policy at the University of Michigan, has added his voice to the growing chorus recognizing the ultimate futility of unlimited economic growth on a finite planet.