George Tsakraklides has a diverse background in the sciences, having trained in molecular biology, chemistry, food science, and Earth sciences. He has also worked in data analytics and marketing sciences for some of the world’s largest corporations, giving him a front-row seat to some of the most profit-driven and exploitative aspects of human society. After two decades in the business world, George realized that his true passion lies in ecology and examining humanity’s fractured relationship with nature and itself. Now, as an author, his work revolves around the theme of civilisational collapse and humanity’s inevitable self-destruction. He approaches the topic using a plethora of lenses that draw parallels between fields as diverse as biology, ecology, anthropology, philosophy, cognitive psychology and economics. His works include: The Unhappiness Machine, Beyond The Petri Dish, In The Grip of Necrocapitalism, A New Earth and other titles. His latest book is Frankenpolitics.

You have said that your latest work – Frankenpolitics – points fingers – who for what are you holding responsible for the mess we’re in?

Those who have purchased politics and democracy, and those in power who allowed themselves to be purchased. At this point both entities, that is, money and power, are behaving as life forms: they are doing everything they can to survive: lie, cheat, steal, and propagate themselves – basically anything and everything which a biological predator would do. They are both extremely dangerous, which is why I classify them as existential threats in my last three books.

Activism has failed you say – why did it fail?

Activism has tried to assert itself by following the capitalist rulebook when it comes to the use of media, funding and positioning. Then again, did it ever have a choice?

The few examples of genuine activism, such as Just Stop Oil, and perhaps to a lesser extent XR, have faced brutal crackdown – obviously because they were hugely successful in many ways, regardless of the fact that they failed to shift policy.

So either way, this would not have ended well. But we must always remember that activism should never be “easy”, and it has never been easy. And you never revolt because you think you will succeed. You revolt because you are desperate, and angry.

When it comes to climate activism specifically, it is the toughest struggle of all: it’s not only about a human right but about nature’s rights, it’s not about a particular issue e.g. LGBTQ rights but about an entire economic system, and for the great majority of people it is not about something that is happening but about something that “is going to happen”.

These three hurdles are unique to the climate crisis and there is no evidence in our history of a civilisation which was able to look deep into itself and diagnose its fundamental existential and systemic issue, which is growth. In my book I argue that we need to accept failure and start completely from scratch. It is a work in progress also at my end, I don’t want to come across like I know it all. As an anarcho-eco-socialist doomer I have so far focused on re-setting peoples’ eyes to begin with, as I think this is a prerequisite for everything that happens from there onwards.

We need new eyes. This is an anti-systemic struggle. We have not adequately communicated that no one will be safe. Everything will change whether we like it or not.

You say that government is a hiding place for capital – what does this mean? And how does it affect everything?

Government is what has enabled business to legitimise theft and wealth accumulation. Government was basically invented as an instrument for controlling the distribution of wealth.

Wealth uses government as a protection, and as a mask at the same time.

Without government, wealth does not have its PR machine. But with government as a competent spokesman, wealth can concentrate on what it does best: atrocities against nature and against humans.

It is a partnership that has worked surprisingly well for thousands of years now, and it doesn’t show any signs of breaking down. If anything, it has moved into the AI arena, which is a whole other discussion for another day.

Capitalism never looks in the mirror – you say, very profoundly that “we are trying to solve the problems of capitalism with more capitalism” – can you explain?

I am referring mostly to the energy transition, which even the average person on the street by now knows has completely failed.

But on a more general level I am referring to our obsession as humans to think of solutions only as things that we either “build” or “invent”.

The solution to the climate crisis, and to growth, is actually simply cutting back on everything we do.

There is no technology involved here. But since there is no profit to be made from that, but a lot of money to be made from renewable tech which is both useless and harmful, these are always the “solutions” we will pick.

The problem with capitalism is it is never genuinely interested in solving problems but very interested in making money. These two motives very rarely overlap, which is why we always pick the wrong solution for the right problem. You would think that this is a history lesson we would have learned by now.

How are corporations to blame?

One of my readers said it before me, as a comment to one of my Tweets: the corporation was the first AI entity, way before today’s AI actually appeared. I fully agree with this, and it was the main thesis in my book Necrocapitalism.

To me, corporations were the hothouses that pioneered a new culture of big brother oppression, ethics suppression and self-censorship, which eventually spilled out into the greater society. Today corporations do not simply control us as consumers or employees. They control our governments, and all decision-making.

Look at what has happened at COP. Its like an almighty force that no one can challenge or fight back. Capital now owns everything and everyone.

You write about hope as a product of corporate toxic positivity. What is that about?

Give people hope, and they will go back to sleep. Scare the living daylights out of them, and they might just start paying attention. Hope is the shortest path to delusion.

Our corporate world does not want us to see the corruption, exploitation and natural destruction that takes place in a corporation’s back office. They hide everything with a big smile. In the same way, hope has become a glossy veneer to be applied liberally onto inconvenient truths.

Hope is so incredibly toxic because it leads to complacency and paralysis. Greta Thunberg once said “we need to act like the house is on fire”.

Hope is a dangerous sedative, it doesn’t motivate people. It is a hangover from the corporations, who want to present big smiles and blue skies on their client brochures. But this is not how effective activism works. Anger is better than hope, by a factor of a million.

Where must the revolt come from in this time of collapse?

From everywhere. We need to continue helping people connect the dots, and link them back to capital, to growth, to greed, to corrupt governments, to what is and has been forever, an unsustainable civilisation.

Resistance begins with critical ability, critical ability begins with awareness, and awareness begins with a completely new consciousness. This is not about a “climate crisis”. It is much bigger. As a species we’ve been doing everything wrong from the very beginning.

This is about changing absolutely everything. I know that’s not an easy answer. For what it may be worth, part of me feels we may have reached rock bottom in some ways. There is so much fake news, so much misdirected anger, people don’t know who to believe and they mistrust everyone. I consider that a good thing, as long as people are beginning to use their brain to question sources of information, question motives, see the big picture and navigate what has become an information dystopia engineered by algorithms which at this point write their own code. We are very close to the rock bottom.

From here onwards it is either a big bang and it’s all over, or people start listening to “crazies” like me and begin to visualise a civilisation that capitalism tried to make us think was impossible. It is possible, but they don’t want you to know as it will spoil their profits.

What is the Great Silence?

The Great Silence is the counterintuitive phenomenon of media white noise becoming louder, just as systemic crises escalate. It’s not a new thing, but it sure has some brand-new tools in its arsenal today. Because humans tend to have a stronger affinity for narratives than for reality, the Great Silence will always stand in the way of truth.

What is the nature of corporate bullying?

It’s a power game of blackmail and domination. I have your salary right here, so you do what I want you to do, say what I tell you to say, put a big smile on as I rob you of any integrity, ethics or other values you may have held dear, and you’ll be fine. Most of all, learn to shut up and look the other way, otherwise you’ll be out on the street tomorrow. Simple as that.

What are you working on next?

There are a few books next in the works which are competing for my attention! I’m waiting for a sign to decide which one should come into fruition first. I started working on Frankenpolitics as a reaction to the “Whole Truth Five” and the run-up to the US election, so I’m usually inspired by current events and developments as I see them through my own eyes. Apart from that I’ve been approached by a director for a TV series and by a publishing house for translation rights to some of my books. Oh, and like everyone else, I’m abandoning Twitter! Look me up on Bluesky!

Thanks so much. Learn more about George Tsakraklides here >>

INTERVIEW by Christian Sarkar