Hervé Corvellec
Professor
The Resourcification of Waste: A Critique of Heroic Efficacy
Author
Editor
- Hervé Corvellec
Summary, in English
This chapter questions the rallying cry that ‘waste is a resource’ through the lens of François Jullien’s critique of efficacy. Focusing on the waste hierarchy, the lean movement, and the circular economy, it shows that viewing waste as a resource privileges a heroic mode of action based on ideals, means and ends, and intended outcomes. Contrasting ancient Greek and Chinese philosophies, Jullien contrasts this proactive approach, which defines efficacy as the ability to solve problems and achieve goals, with an anti-heroic focus on immanence, situational circumstances, and transformations. This contrast leads to a critique of the overconfidence currently placed in heroic efficacy. Heroic efficacy appears as a conservative posture that supports the dominant social order and deflects fitting social critique. But the Anthropocene epitomizes the need to re-evaluate current confidence in heroic efficacy and to seek non-heroic approaches.
Department/s
- Department of Service Studies
Publishing year
2024-02-12
Language
English
Pages
1-1
Publication/Series
Waste as a Critique
Document type
Book chapter
Publisher
Oxford University Press
Topic
- Business Administration
Keywords
- Waste
- Heroism
- Efficacy
- François Jullien
- Anthropocene
Status
Submitted