The project of applying general systems theory to social sciences is crucial in today’s crisis when social and ecological systems clash. This book concretely demonstrates the necessity of a Marxist approach to this challenge, notably in asserting agency (struggle) as against determinism. It similarly shows how Marxism can be reinvigorated from a systems perspective. Drawing on his experience in both international systems and low-input agriculture, Biel explores the interaction of social and physical systems, using the conceptual tools of thermodynamics and information. He reveals the early twenty-first century as a period when capitalism starts parasitising on the chaos it itself creates, notably in the link between the two sides of imperialism: militarism (the ‘war on terror’) and speculative finance capital.
- ISBN10 900420430X
- ISBN13 9789004204300
- Publish Date 14 October 2011 (first published 1 January 2011)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country NL
- Imprint Brill
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 394
- Language English
- URL brill.com/product_id34849