Die Entdeckung der Nachhaltigkeit

by Ulrich Grober

From diets to economic growth, everything these days has to be ‘sustainable’. But the word’s currency should not obscure its sustainability is an age-old aspiration; a concept deeply rooted in human culture. Though in danger of abuse and overuse today, it can still be recovered from its present inflationary coinage.In clear and thought-provoking terms, Ulrich Grober reassesses the concept of sustainability using a range of fascinating historical instances of its application. He considers the vision of men such as Hans Carl von Carlowitz, credited with having first formulated the three pillars of environmental equilibrium, economic security and social justice. The journey takes in Francis of Assisi‘s thirteenth-century Canticle of the Sun, as well as Greek philosophers and Enlightenment scholars. Whether in the court of Louis XIV or the silver mines of Saxony, Grober reveals that sustainability is always born of crisis and yet also marks the birth of a new awareness, a realisation that the planet we live on has to be sustained and preserved for future generations.This book offers a historically rich and nuanced introduction to a concept that could not be of more pressing importance for the twenty-first century.

Genres: Sustainability

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Lauren Antin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the beginning half of the book was super interesting. It traced the etymology of the German word “Nachhaltigkeit” from Latin, Greek, and English roots. In tracing roots of the term itself, the author was also tracing the history of humanity’s nature stewardship, providing main theses of historically important naturalists to mark the overall Stimmung from certain time periods. The end of the book took time defining how we define sustainability today and what sustainability can even mean in a world where hyper capitalism drives our use of natural resources. There was a political discussion of north versus south towards the end; I appreciated the global perspective and context as opposed to keeping things German-centric. I closed the book feeling depressed at how futile all environmental calls to action are in today’s day and age, but definitely learned a lot of new information despite feeling personally well versed in the topic. At times dense and a bit boring, it was overall a really interesting read and super fascinating for people passionate about the planet AND language 🤓

[Holly B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book that offers some good history on the term sustainability. The authors asides tend to be a bit disconnected from the rest of the content. I would encourage any who reads this to seek out other materials especially indigenous voices and people of the global majority to understand their views as these perspectives are seriously lacking.

[Josephine Blümel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interessante Thematik und danke für die kunsthistorische Betrachtung des Begriffs Nachhaltigkeit. Allerdings an einigen Stellen könnte es flüssiger geschrieben sein.

[Annett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wenn man wirklich wissen möchte, woher der Begriff "Nachhaltigkeit" stammt und wenn man genug hat, ständig nur Carlowitz zitieren zu müssen, dann bietet Ulrich Gröbers Aufarbeitung der Kulturgeschichte des Begriffs einen reichen Fundus. Die Idee der Nachhaltigkeit im heute verstandenen Sinn existierte bereits vor Carlowitz und diese Referenzen sind für die Debatte um den Begriff sehr wertvoll. Auch die Tatsache, dass Goethe sich mit Nachhaltigkeit in seinem Werk befasst hat, ist vielfach nicht bekannt, stellt aber eine wirkliche Bereicherung für Begriffsdiskussionen dar. Die Entwicklung des Begriffs "Nachhaltigkeit" wird bis in die Gegenwart weiterverfolgt und bietet so auch für heutige Referenzen viel Material. Wer sich für den Begriff an sich und das "Dahinter" interessiert, sollte dieses Buch unbedingt lesen.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope someone translates this book into English, because it attempts to do a very important thing: provide a comprehensive history of sustainability in the West. It is generally successful, but sometimes the personal details--Grober hearing the Doors play eco-tunes during a jam in Germany, physical descriptions of 17th century characters like John Evelyn--feel like padding in a narrative that can be too arbitrary and flighty. Still, he pulls in diverse details, such as Goethe, medieval forestry, and the Club of Rome, to make his point that sustainability thinking has always existed in some form and is intimately related to the natural world.