I think Halstead knows what degrowth advocates claim about degrowth (that it won’t have built-in humanitarian costs). And I think he disagrees with them, which isn’t the same as not understanding their arguments.
Imagine people arguing whether to invade Iraq in the year following the 9/11 attacks. One of them points out that invading the country will involve enormous built-in humanitarian costs. Their interlocutor replies:
“Your characterization of an Iraq invasion as having “enormous humanitarian costs” “built in” is flatly untrue in a way that is obvious to anyone who has read any Iraq invasion literature, e.g. Rumsfeld and Powell.”
The second person may genuinely see Rumsfeld and Powell as experts worth listening to. The first person may see their arguments as clearly wrong, and not even worth addressing (if they think it’s common sense that war will incur humanitarian costs).
The first person isn’t necessarily right — in 2002, there was lots of disagreement between experts on the outcome of an Iraq invasion! — but I wouldn’t conclude that their words are “flatly untrue” or that they lack “basic background knowledge”.
I think Halstead knows what degrowth advocates claim about degrowth (that it won’t have built-in humanitarian costs). And I think he disagrees with them, which isn’t the same as not understanding their arguments.
Imagine people arguing whether to invade Iraq in the year following the 9/11 attacks. One of them points out that invading the country will involve enormous built-in humanitarian costs. Their interlocutor replies:
“Your characterization of an Iraq invasion as having “enormous humanitarian costs” “built in” is flatly untrue in a way that is obvious to anyone who has read any Iraq invasion literature, e.g. Rumsfeld and Powell.”
The second person may genuinely see Rumsfeld and Powell as experts worth listening to. The first person may see their arguments as clearly wrong, and not even worth addressing (if they think it’s common sense that war will incur humanitarian costs).
The first person isn’t necessarily right — in 2002, there was lots of disagreement between experts on the outcome of an Iraq invasion! — but I wouldn’t conclude that their words are “flatly untrue” or that they lack “basic background knowledge”.