Ecoliberalism

Ecoliberalism

10 November 2025

In a world struggling with burnout, inequality, and ecological collapse, we are all searching for a way forward. I’m writing a bit late today—not only because I had more appointments outside the house than I would have liked, but also because I had to make my way through Kees Klomp’s book Ecoliberalisme: Een veranderverhaal over ware vrijheid (Ecoliberalism: A Transformative Story About True Freedom).

Klomp, known for his work on the meaning economy (betekenisecnomie), takes his thinking a step further here. Reading his book was a challenge—not because it was difficult, but because every concept he introduced seemed to echo ideas I’ve explored myself.

So, what is the essence of what Klomp is saying? I hope I do his book justice.

He argues that our neoliberal system, with its market fetishism, has reached its limits. It’s a system built on the pursuit of happiness—yet happiness itself is never clearly defined. It revolves around desire, not need. The result is a deep emptiness that people try to fill individually with material possessions. But this is an illusion, and that illusion has led many into psychological distress.

Klomp calls for a system rooted in the commons—the meent—where we focus less on individual gain and more on the collective good. It’s not about endless growth; it’s about recognizing that the rest of creation also has a right to exist.

In this way, he, too, arrives at what I call a new social contract—one that includes not only individuals and the state but also nature itself. As I have often emphasized, this contract should also embrace the relationships from individual to individual, from individual to corporation, and from individual to technology.

Klomp ends with practical suggestions for how to begin this transformation. It’s not just theory—it’s a call to action.

Perhaps true freedom begins when we realize that we are not separate from each other, nor from the living world around us.

Miguel Goede