Colliding with Reality: Liquid Modernity and the Environment

Abstract

The defining feature of (post)modern environmentalism is its focus on damage to ecosystems, including the global ecosystem or Gaia. Its proponents argue that this damage now threatens the future of life itself. They have not succeeded in overturning the current priorities of governments, however, particularly on the crucial measures required to combat climate destabilization. This failure has crystallized a much stronger ideological challenge by radical environmentalists who have rediscovered the Radical Enlightenment and are defining its realization as the creation of an ecological civilization. This challenge, in turn, has exposed more clearly the obstacles in the way of creating such a civilization, notably the advance of “inverted totalitarianism ” whereby a new global ruling class, the “corporatocracy,” has aligned itself with and utilized morally and intellectually stunted “post-humans” to subvert the institutions of democracy. The nature of this inverted totalitarianism and those who are serving it are examined. Despite the apparent success of this form of totalitarianism, it is shown that environmentalists have grounds for hope. They still could prevail in the long run, although success will require a long struggle.