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Laddar... How to Think Seriously About the Planet: The Case for an Environmental Conservatismav Roger Scruton
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Gå med i LibraryThing för att få reda på om du skulle tycka om den här boken. Det finns inga diskussioner på LibraryThing om den här boken. In his book, "How to Think Seriously About the Planet", Roger Scruton makes the case that when it comes to solving environmental problems, small is better. I found the book to be rather laborious, and did not finish. But I got far enough into the book to understand that Scruton is a proponent of local initiatives under local control to address environmental issues rather than rely on big government to solve problems. Too often, Scruton argues, large scale, top-down initiatives lead to unintended consequences.
The environment has long been the undisputed territory of the political Left, which casts international capitalism, consumerism, and the overexploitation of natural resources as the principle threats to the planet and sees top-down interventions as the most effective solution. In How to Think Seriously about the Planet, Roger Scruton rejects this view and offers a fresh approach to tackling the most important political problem of our time. He contends that the environmental movement is philosophically confused and has unrealistic agendas. Its sights are directed at large-scale events and the confrontation between international politics and multinational business. But Scruton argues that no large-scale environmental project, however well intentioned, will succeed if it is not rooted in small-scale practical reasoning. Seeing things on a large scale promotes top-down solutions, managed by unaccountable bureaucracies that fail to assess local conditions and rife with unintended consequences. Scruton calls for the greater efficacy of local initiatives over global schemes, civil association over political activism, and small-scale institutions of friendship over regulatory hypervigilance, suggesting that conservatism is far better suited to solving environmental problems than either liberalism or socialism. Rather than entrusting the environment to unwieldy NGOs and international committees, we must assume personal responsibility and foster local control. People must be empowered to take charge of their environment, to care for it as they would a home, and to involve themselves through the kind of local associations that have been the traditional goal of conservative politics. Our common future is by no means assured, but as Roger Scruton clearly demonstrates in this important book, there is a path that can ensure the future safety of our planet and our species. Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
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Google Books — Laddar... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)333.7201Social sciences Economics Economics of land & energy Land, recreational and wilderness areas, energy Environmentalism & Conservation Theory & InstructionKlassifikation enligt LCBetygMedelbetyg:
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So the niche he wants to establish spirals around the word oikos and you’ll be hearing it A LOT. Like all classicist fans he takes a concept from ancient greece and molds it into something that suits current day issues, in this case he’s packaged the idea of community and civil society into this concept and will hammer it to death. Much like Niall Ferguson’s book [b:The Great Degeneration|16129479|The Great Degeneration|Niall Ferguson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372541698l/16129479._SY75_.jpg|21954506], Scruton tries to make civil society the big solution to social problems. Big government can’t be trusted. Corporations can’t be trusted. (“The left” and “neoliberals” standins, respectively). We have to trust local rule and bottom up solutions. His strongest points surround the byzantine nature of global commerce and law, and how inflexibility and red tape circuses have stalled environmental solutions. Big globocorps get away with murder because they have the lawyers and spare cash to do it. Small business, and small farming (that in this view is more eco friendly, regenerative) can’t cope and dies on the vine. Nuclear energy is thwarted by stupid green politics. Of course he swerves around the NIMBYism of his bottom up solutions in civil society being a major stumbling block for placing a nuclear power plant somewhere.
He has a point about agreements not being worth the paper they’re printed on if parties like China do whatever they want. Similarly it’s true countries like China and India will dominate the climate outcomes regardless of what we do. But in observing this Scruton has no actual solution other than turning inward toward what we can control. We can organize to pick up trash in the forests and lakes. We can come together to fund solar panel installations. Scruton and Ferguson’s conservatism lamenting this part of environmentalism and the loss of a common cause have a core of truth. But in offering nothing but abdication on the global front he’s effectively just being a stooge for those globalist neoliberal forces that will then decide this issue, and not in his favour.
If he needs to first dismantle big government to get to a place where the bottom up solutions again reign supreme, he’s just buried the entire topic under a Sisyphean task of rewiring all of government so we can solve local ecological issues.
I’d love to see a conservatism that actually cares about conserving. This is only a half-baked attempt. ( )