Apocalypsophy
On recycling, green growth and other dangerous fantasies
For many years we’ve known about our collective effect on the planet and its consequences. Still, many pretend nothing is wrong. We would rather dream of carbon offsetting, circular economies, ‘green growth’ – of a world where everything can be cleaned, recycled or resolved with magical technology. Anything to stop us from making real change. In 'Apocalypsophy', Lisa Doeland confronts us with our various ‘green dreams’.
Take, for example, the sheer scale of the climate crisis: it’s too big, it’s unstoppable. This fatalism is dangerous, writes Doeland, not only because there is so much to do, but because it imagines the end – of humanity, biodiversity, the planet – too simply. As though everything will finish with a bang. This too is a form of denial. When, instead, we acknowledge the catastrophe has already happened, and is going on continually around us, we can work towards a future beyond impending doom.
Rather than reassure, Doeland offers tools for living as best as we can among the ruins. Bodily engagement is necessary, as is local concrete action. We must learn to see ourselves as part of the cycle of life, death and waste, and learn to die out – perhaps the goal of all philosophy. Doeland builds her argument across nine chapters, turning to thinkers like Srecko Horvat, Timothy Morton, Anna Tsing, Val Plumwood, Donna Harraway, Bruno Latour, Jacques Derrida and Walter Benjamin, as well as works of art, film and literature from popular culture.
An empowering, clear-eyed philosophy in which the climate apocalypse has already happened
Offers tools for living among the ruins and reimagining another future
Year of publication
2023
Page count
240
Publisher
Ten Have
Rights
Shared Stories
Hayo Deinum
hayo@sharedstories.nl
Sample translation available
“Full of wonderful metaphors and intriguing provocations.”
“Doeland skillfully makes mincemeat of unrealistic ideas.”
“Doeland offers a welcome argument against overly rosy pictures and, more surprisingly, against overly gloomy expectations. Yes, a lot is being lost, but there is also something to be salvaged.”
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Uprising — The Populist Revolt and Battle for the Soul of the West
In recent years the far-right’s growing mainstream acceptance has come to feel unstoppable. On a platform of identity, family, nationalism and anti-immigration, populist parties have seen electoral wins throughout the West. Underlying their valorisation of what is ‘natural’ and ‘realistic’, however, is a broader counterrevolutionary movement against the left-liberal globalist elite and what is perceived as the undermining of Western identity.
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When Humans Stray — Seven Animals Bite Back
For 400 years, European seafarers attempted to sail over the top of the globe for a shorter trading route. The famous polar explorer William Barentsz, who lent his name to the Barents Sea, died a hero, after becoming stranded in Novaya Zemlya in northern Russia. Today, however, he would have been able to complete his route in the summer.
Listening Practice
Initially, the emancipating power of internet technology was warmly embraced: the marginalised could finally influence political debate, new voices could shake up the dominant world order. But constant scrolling has led to a ‘dizzying swirl of current events’, overstimulation leads to mental shut down. Can we learn to listen again?
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Old Growth — The Fight for Europe’s Wilderness
Central and Eastern Europe are home to the continent’s oldest forests and much of its last true wilderness. There, wild bison, wolves, deer and even bears still roam and families have foraged for mushrooms for generations. But these UNESCO-heritage forests are under increasing threat from logging, fed by our insatiable demand for cheap furniture.
