![]() This further enlarges its importance in the established social imaginary. When climate change is important in our speech, it inevitably becomes important in art, literature, and popular culture. Over time, what we describe and emphasize becomes culturally significant. When we talk, our stories are about actual subjects, building a collective empathy.Įmbodying ideas through words creates culture. Extreme heat affects actual vulnerable people. Unpredictable weather affects actual farmers. That feeling motivates change.Ĭlimate change is a human story. By talking about it, we spread not just knowledge, but also the feeling that this is important. There’s only one known way of making a new default social reality: talking about that new reality as if it’s already real.ĭespite the data, many are still unaware of the urgency of this crisis. Climate change doesn’t fit our defining stories of progress. Our prevailing social imaginary doesn't have a place in it for planetary boundaries. These things are “normal” in action, because they’re “normal” in our minds. This has completely normalized industrialization, exploitation of the land, and unchecked global population. It’s the picture that leaps to mind when we imagine what’s real.įor centuries, our commonly shared social imaginaries have been dominated by narrative descriptions of a particular reality: unending growth, economic progress, and the conquest of nature. It's the default common sense that guides decisions, the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, and the dreams we chase. The Social Imaginary is the collective understanding of how things are assumed to work in the world. The Most Important Thing We Can Do About Climate Change Is Talk About Climate ChangeĪt its core, combatting climate change requires a fundamental transformation of what we collectively believe, what we value, and what we assume to be real.įor this task, Canadian social philosopher Charles Taylor's concept of ‘the Social Imaginary' is indispensable.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |