The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable (Berlin Family Lectures)
Product ID: 49739042
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Are we deranged? The acclaimed Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh argues that future generations may well think so. How else to explain our imaginative failure in the face of global warming? In his first major book of nonfiction since In an Antique Land , Ghosh examines our inability—at the level of literature, history, and politics—to grasp the scale and violence of climate change. The extreme nature of today’s climate events, Ghosh asserts, make them peculiarly resistant to contemporary modes of thinking and imagining. This is particularly true of serious literary fiction: hundred-year storms and freakish tornadoes simply feel too improbable for the novel; they are automatically consigned to other genres. In the writing of history, too, the climate crisis has sometimes led to gross simplifications; Ghosh shows that the history of the carbon economy is a tangled global story with many contradictory and counterintuitive elements. Ghosh ends by suggesting that politics, much like literature, has become a matter of personal moral reckoning rather than an arena of collective action. But to limit fiction and politics to individual moral adventure comes at a great cost. The climate crisis asks us to imagine other forms of human existence—a task to which fiction, Ghosh argues, is the best suited of all cultural forms. His book serves as a great writer’s summons to confront the most urgent task of our time. Review: Erudite & Insightful. Sophisticated world view. - The breadth of literature and authors cited, both Western and Asian is quite stunning. This critique of the arts and especially literature draws a unique arc so bold it's difficult to describe, nor can I adequately convey the enlightening elevation of the arts above economics & politics. As well, this text serves as a mini history lesson on the carbon economy. Even if you, like I, have read deeply in Global Warming literature, you will find nearly all of this particular work new to you. Review: An Important Book - Read it, buy it for others - I very strongly recommend this book. "Where was I at 350 ppm?" should be asked by students. We need to change the way humanity thinks, and Ghosh helps point out where the problem lies, in part. In parts two and three, Ghosh shares his insights into fossil fuel's role in imperialism, cultural chauvinism, technological innovation, and climate denialism. Interestingly, Ghosh explains how the control of India and China slowed their addition to carbon dioxide's atmospheric density. Early beneficiaries of fossil fuel-driven economies could care less. Capital Our individualism and symbolism reflects the role of capital: the drive for the greatest return in the shortest time, hence environmental suicide. The ecological, Systemic View Meanwhile, the holistic view of the earth for the long term goes unheeded. These are my terms because I cannot hope to match Ghosh's intellect. I can only recommend that you read this book and share it. Talk with others about this book and the role of the arts, religion, and literature in climate denial. It's vital. Eddie Evans - ClimateDeception.Net
| Best Sellers Rank | #88,728 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #54 in Atmospheric Sciences (Books) #176 in Environmentalism #250 in Nature Conservation |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,406 Reviews |
J**O
Erudite & Insightful. Sophisticated world view.
The breadth of literature and authors cited, both Western and Asian is quite stunning. This critique of the arts and especially literature draws a unique arc so bold it's difficult to describe, nor can I adequately convey the enlightening elevation of the arts above economics & politics. As well, this text serves as a mini history lesson on the carbon economy. Even if you, like I, have read deeply in Global Warming literature, you will find nearly all of this particular work new to you.
E**S
An Important Book - Read it, buy it for others
I very strongly recommend this book. "Where was I at 350 ppm?" should be asked by students. We need to change the way humanity thinks, and Ghosh helps point out where the problem lies, in part. In parts two and three, Ghosh shares his insights into fossil fuel's role in imperialism, cultural chauvinism, technological innovation, and climate denialism. Interestingly, Ghosh explains how the control of India and China slowed their addition to carbon dioxide's atmospheric density. Early beneficiaries of fossil fuel-driven economies could care less. Capital Our individualism and symbolism reflects the role of capital: the drive for the greatest return in the shortest time, hence environmental suicide. The ecological, Systemic View Meanwhile, the holistic view of the earth for the long term goes unheeded. These are my terms because I cannot hope to match Ghosh's intellect. I can only recommend that you read this book and share it. Talk with others about this book and the role of the arts, religion, and literature in climate denial. It's vital. Eddie Evans - ClimateDeception.Net
L**R
Interesting aspect.
The book was a pretty good read, it introduces several social ideas that are relevant to climate change. For someone like myself who is usually consumed with with the scientific aspect of Climate Change, this was a nice alternative aspect.
M**U
must read
An informative and lucid analysis of the global worming, with emphasis on the lack of fiction literature dealing with the subject.
Z**I
Great Gems in a Mixed Matrix. Well Worth the Slog
Three dazzling essays, pasted together. Occasionally pompous. But with quality like this, 5 stars anyway. DONT MISS: Dark Mountain page 8 Deep State p.131 Ghandi, M. p.111 Jet skis. p. 81 Klein, N. p.87 Mann, M. p. 137 Thant, U. p. 113 Zola, E. p. 78
J**Y
his conclusion disappointed me and colored my overall feeling for the book
This book, though very short, has many valuable ideas that one doesn't encounter often in discussions of climate change in the West, such as how critique of empire is neglected for critique of capitalism, when in fact they are two separate issues. His discussion of why coal leads to more worker solidarity than oil is also something I haven't seen addressed elsewhere, and he generally thinks through climate change in original ways. However he completely lost me at the end when he compared the Pope's encyclical with the Paris Accord -- criticizing Paris for being written by a committee and neglecting completely the fact that it was binding among governments whereas the Pope didn't have to get anyone to agree to do anything. His conclusion that religious groups might be our only hope seemed bonkers -- most of the rational European West is increasingly secular -- and most of the power is in this West. The religious American Right of course opposes the idea of climate change, and I doubt that Islamic countries which are heavily dependent on oil revenues will move this way. China is not religious, and as he points out in India there is a move toward increased accumulation of Western things. The Pope can't speak for birth control and women having many children won't help. Buddhists? So far not a very powerful force in world politics that I can see. Anyhow, his conclusion disappointed me and colored my overall feeling for the book.
M**D
Perfection!
Condition of book exactly as advertised. Perfectly packaged for shipping. A book-lover's dream.
P**T
Climate change phenomenon from a novel perspective (see what I did there?)
Ghosh talks about why climate change (CC) is almost entirely absent from literary novels. This is an excellent discussion, and you get the sense that the reason novelists don't include CC in their work is one and the same with why we don't include it in our national life/discussions. Which isn't an answer in itself, more of a pointing toward a mystery. Literary novels have conventional wisdom as their foundation--their basis is a kind of facile knowledge of the world. Conventional wisdom cannot grasp CC, probably because its implications spell the total and complete end of conventional wisdom. CC will make our knowing and grasping of the world largely extinct (it's already happening), and along with that facile knowing, the novel as we know it will likely also become extinct. (Good thing I like genre novels.)
E**R
Excellent and Insightful
This book is a delight to read. It delves into theory in very lucid and clear ways and draws fascinating webs of connections. It's outlook on climate inaction is extremely enlightening.
R**.
Read this book if you care about your children and grandchildren!
Many of us are getting weary of the climate change discussion. This book is an important message to not forget that if we allow rapid climate change to happen--and WE are allowing it to happen--the world and those who are left will lead very diminished lives. He suggests that we need cultural transformations as well as technical changes to lower resource use. Read this book if you care about your children and grandchildren!
R**.
Cogent enquiry into the art and literature of climate change, or rather, the lack of it.
This book is a well designed traverse of art, politics and history. The author makes some stunning insights into the moral and political entanglement with modernity, modernism, global development and the likelihood of seeing changes on mitigation of emissions. A refreshing Asian perspective, is able to see the empire of the Anglosphere for what it appears to be. - The Human Race to end it all with champions on top.
D**L
Everyone should read this!
Thought provoking, insightful read.
B**O
Mandatory reading
In spite of the strong British-American cultural influence (the author is Indian, but that's where the British empire extended to... - I'm commenting as an Southern European of course), the book provides lots of information especially concerning non-European facts and readers and an excellent commentary on the state of the world. Some of the topics are intellectually challenging, but - as a reader of English as second language - I can only praise the beautiful, clear language. The contents is somewhat scary but something that anybody in 2017 has a duty to know. The conclusions are open to debate (again, as a Southern European I notice some notable misses) but still this book is something I recommend to everybody.
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