Philosophy and the Climate Crisis: How the Past Can Save the Present

This book explores how the history of philosophy can orient us to the new reality brought on by the climate crisis, examining how past philosophers responded to similar crises and distilling key intellectual innovations from each metaphysical system. It will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental philosophy, ethics, and the environmental humanities.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2020
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The climate crisis presents us with a unique and challenging reality, one that requires us to reexamine our understanding of the world and our place in it. In this book, we explore how the history of philosophy can provide us with valuable insights and orientations as we navigate this crisis.

If we view the climate crisis as a fundamentally existential threat, it can be helpful to examine how past philosophers responded to similar crises in their times. By studying these past crises, we can gain a deeper understanding of the philosophical frameworks that have been developed to address similar challenges and learn from the successes and failures of those approaches.

The book explores five past crises, each involving a distinct form of collective trauma. These events—war, occupation, exile, scientific revolution, and political revolution—inspired the philosophers to reimagine the world in thought and construct new metaphysical systems.

Williston distills a key intellectual innovation from each metaphysical system:

• Plato argued that political power must be constrained by knowledge of the climate system.
• Augustine argued that ethical and political reasoning must be informed by care or love of the ecological whole.
• Descartes proposed that we must enhance the design of the technosphere.
• Spinoza argued that we must conceive of the Earth as an internally complex system.
• Hegel argued that we must grant rights to anyone or anything—ultimately the Earth system itself—whose vital interests are threatened by the effects of climate change.

Philosophy and the Climate Crisis will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental philosophy, ethics, and the environmental humanities. By studying the insights and frameworks developed by past philosophers, we can better understand the challenges we face today and develop new strategies for addressing them.

Weight: 318g
Dimension: 156 x 232 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367506803