Dan Kim

Never met an eco-warrior, huh?

---

But it's a general problem, anon. If you think that the language of morality is just an evolved tool that we use to get a (often slippery) grip on some of the behaviours of a certain kind of evolved animal, then you can deal with the fact that we often have a lot of conflicting desires, behaviours, and assessments. And you can deal with the fact that these differences seem to persist no matter what we do. These differences just arise from natural variations in physical structures, like the eye or hair colour. It's not like the colour-blind as "missing" colours ... they just don't see as we do and so behave differently (e.g. they might group some coloured blocks together differently). This view makes the activity of moral discussion, reflection, and change a kind of management or palliative care. You'll find eco reformers here.

---

On the other hand, if you think morality is a matter of "seeing clearly" and "taking off the blinders/mask/veil of appearances" and coming into contact with the true nature of the moral realm and identifying moral truths (truths which, of course, must be shared by all) then, well, it's easy to get wrapped into a crusade and become a crusader. After all, you're only opening their eyes. And if their eyes won't open -- better to be rid of them and make the world safe for those who perceive the truth as clearly as you do. And if this doesn't happen -- well, there must still be blemishes of the old order still left behind. Cleanse it all! Not the tiniest speck can be tolerated: micro-aggressions, unconscious desires, jokes, art... and yet ever-more subtle interpretations will reveal the hidden seeds of the old world, so cleanse harder! On into private conversation, and on into the classrooms, your house, the bedroom, your head, etc. You'll find eco-warriors here.

---

Well, I'm dramatizing, of course. But that's a nice cartoon version of my view. I mostly inhabit the first camp, but it's not that the latter stance shouldn't be held, of course. You'll probably find yourself in different camps on different subjects, and it might shift a lot over time without any good reason. You might not even change your beliefs, but merely the emphasis or weighting you put on one belief over another. We're all just messy animals going about their messy animal business. These days, I'm okay with that.

View more

The same way I deal with someone telling me it's blasphemous, sinful, not eco-friendly, or anti-animal rights, or fails to promote rational thinking, scientific or democratic values, etc. It may be true (for some definition you've picked) but that's not enough for anything meaningful to follow -- especially not anything that aims for purity in the eyes of some particular set of value. We live in a world of dirty trade-offs and dirty people. Any view of the world that doesn't take that into account would break the crooked branch that is man to make him straight. I'm afraid that a lot this latest moral and intellectual fashion is just that.

---

Anyway, I remember very well the comic book, music, and video game scares of the past -- this is just more of the same. Just background noise now. Carry on, carry on.

View more