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How to Think Seriously about the Planet

The Case for an Environmental Conservatism

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

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.

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    • AudioFile Magazine
      Scruton is no friend of moderation. This brief foray into Òenvironmental conservatismÓ begins with a badly informed screed against government-based environmental policies everywhere (Chapters 2-5). Then, after an interesting personal analysis that articulates many of the significant lessons English landscape preservation has for Americans, he offers a radical set of recommendations--including carbon taxes, distributed energy generation, and limits to growth. In the process of examining oikophilia (love of home), he discovers that small is beautiful. Scruton is always combative and occasionally quite engaging. Simon Prebble soldiers through the near gibberish of the early sections of the book and conveys enthusiasm for many of the more compelling observations later. His pace is perfect, and his pronunciations flawless. F.C. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine

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