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Fictional, Playful, and yet Weirdly Serious

Date
October 11, 2023
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The Inner Development Goals on Trial

In this article by Jonathan Rowson plays the role of Judge and Jury putting the IDG’s on trial. His main criticism can be summarized in the following manner.

Charges against IDG:

  1. Preaching a False Gospel:
    • Accusation: IDG adheres and promotes UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are criticized as being incoherent and impractical.
    • Context: The critique implies that IDGs blindly support SDGs despite their perceived flaws and impracticalities.
  2. Merchants of the Growth-to-Goodness Fallacy:
    • This charge is not elaborated upon in the provided text but presumably pertains to promoting economic growth as inherently beneficial to society.
  3. Pretending to be the Future:
    • The charge is not detailed, but implies IDG presents itself as a futuristic solution while potentially adhering to outdated paradigms.
  4. Accomplice to the Assassin (Crypto-capitalist):
    • Accusation: IDG is criticized for collaborating with corporations and established institutions that uphold the status quo.
    • Context: The dialogue refers to the three horizons model, accusing IDG of presenting as an innovative force (H2plus) while actually aligning with, and protecting, established norms and power structures (H2minus).
  5. Promising Transformation while Reinforcing Immunity to Change:
    • Accusation: IDG is accused of not addressing competing commitments (such as profit, growth, and consumption) while promoting systemic change.
    • Context: The critique insinuates that without addressing systemic risk and structural injustice, IDG’s initiatives may merely be superficial or performative.

The entire article can be found below:

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