Fresh Ed podcast | Tim Jackson in conversation with Will Behm
June 2025
Summary
In a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation with Will Brehm on FreshEd, Tim Jackson explores the personal and political dimensions of The Care Economy, his latest book. Sparked by a surprising diabetes diagnosis, Jackson shares how a personal health crisis led him to further question not only his own lifestyle but the broader systems that shape our wellbeing. His journey through nutrition, chronic illness, and the failings of modern medicine reveals how society has systematically undermined health by prioritising profit over care. He argues that a care-centered economy—one that restores balance and places health ahead of wealth—is essential, not just for individuals, but for the long-term sustainability of our societies and ecosystems.
Jackson also delves into the gendered history of care, reflecting on the sidelining of women’s voices and knowledge in medicine and economics. Drawing on decades of post-growth thinking, he situates care as a foundational principle of a prosperous society—contrasting sharply with the relentless drive for growth, efficiency, and accumulation in modern capitalism. A post-growth economy, he contends, must center activities like care, creativity, and craftsmanship, which resist the logic of productivity but enhance life’s meaning and quality. The conversation reinforces Jackson’s core message: that care is not peripheral, but fundamental—to human dignity, social stability, and the survival of the planet itself.
The full podcast series is available via https://freshedpodcast.com, and can be found on the usual podcast platforms.
Background image: Ibrar Hussain / Canva.com
