The Greens are a diverse phenomenon embracing various theories and practices, but there is a widespread view that Karl Marx embraced economic gigantism and megatechnology, for which writers of many persuasions since the mid-1950s have deployed the symbol of Prometheus. As used by critics, the charge of Prometheanism helps dissuade those committed to radical democracy and ecology from considering Marx for themselves. The myth of Prometheus is sometimes used to distinguish Marx from those in his century who are known to have criticized the domination of nature, especially the romantic poets and artists. Some critics think it is important to construct a Green theory that is free from left traditions, invoking as an alternative John Ruskin, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and William Morris. This article reconstructs the meanings of the Prometheus saga, challenges the distortion of Marx, and asserts his continuity with a tradition of human liberation and defense of nature.
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