Sometimes I read and write philosophy.
The Paradox of Climate Doomerism
Despite increasingly dire warnings from environmental scientists, carbon emissions are still on the rise, and environmental activism has not seen a corresponding increase in popularity. The rising influence of “doomer” communities online, which amplify pessimistic environmental news and inspire climate anxiety, are emblematic of such climate inaction and environmental nihilism. Participation in these online communities can result in an intriguing paradox in which an individual may learn more information about climate change and environmental issues, but respond to this information with complacency. This essay argues that the exercise of the Nietzschean concepts of ressentiment and bad conscience within eco-conscious communities, interpreted and reconceptualized by Gilles Deleuze in Nietzsche and Philosophy, are root factors which contribute to complacency in climate action. Through a Deleuze-Nietzsche lens, and using concepts from Deleuze and Felix Guattari’s project Capitalism and Schizophrenia, I further analyze the ethical framework of ecomodernism, radical hope, and solarpunk, and use these lenses to explore the ways in which solarpunk’s radical potential can be maximized to combat climate inaction.
What I’m Reading Right Now
Quinn Beato 