<
https://blogs.sciencemag.org/books/2021/05/11/psychological-roots-of-the-climate-crisis/>
"Climate scientists have been getting some tough questions lately, not about
their data but about their feelings. How does it feel to study such a badly
damaged planet? To be condemned by opponents who refuse to engage with the
evidence you have put forward? It is not often that scientists are asked to
talk about their feelings, but many of those studying climate change seem
grateful for opportunities to do so. They have admitted to experiencing anger,
frustration, and despair, along with varying degrees of hope.
The psychoanalyst Sally Weintrobe believes that we all need more opportunities
to share our feelings about climate change. In
Psychological Roots of the
Climate Crisis, she explores the forces that conspire to distract us from
doing so.
Weintrobe’s diagnosis centers on neoliberalism, a slippery term that gains
contour and traction from her analysis. For Weintrobe, neoliberalism is more
than a deregulated form of capitalism—it is a mindset. The problem is not
simply that free-market ideologues have captured state power and undermined the
authority of science since the 1980s; worse, neoliberalism has invaded the
psyches of those living in the global north.
Every human being has both a caring and an uncaring side, Weintrobe explains.
When the caring part dominates, the individual manages to rein in unruly
desires out of concern for others. Neoliberalism, she argues, feeds the
uncaring part of the human psyche and silences the caring part."
Via Robert Sanscartier.
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
