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Zusatztext Parkes here explores Confucianism and Daoism, not as some exotic relic of the “Oriental” past to be quixotically commended as a “solution” to the current environmental crisis—as did writers in the 1970s and ‘80s with such titles as “Tao Now!” Rather, Confucianism, Parkes persuasively argues, is the worldview of the ruling party in China, which is “communist” in name only. And he finds that foundational Western thought—e.g. Christianity as Pope Francis understands it and Plato’s Republic —resonates with Confucian and Daoist ideas. Such a confluence could be the basis of an international consensus about reality and governance on which to begin to cope with global warming. Informationen zum Autor Graham Parkes is Professor Emeritus at the University of Hawai‘i and Professorial Research Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Vienna, Austria. He has been teaching environmental philosophy and Asian and comparative thought for forty-five years, beginning at UC Santa Cruz, and later at universities in China, Japan, and Europe. Vorwort Taking a cross-cultural approach to the distinctly global problem of climate change, Graham Parkes explains how an appreciation of Confucian political philosophy and Plato can improve our current predicament. Zusammenfassung **Choice Outstanding Academic Title, 2021** Coping with the climate crisis is the greatest challenge we face as a species. We know the main task is to reduce our emissions as rapidly as possible to minimise the harm to the world’s population now and for generations to come. What on earth can philosophy offer us?In this compelling account of a problem we think we know inside out, the philosopher Graham Parkes outlines the climatic predicament we are in and how we got here, and explains how we can think about it anew by considering the relevant history, science, economics, politics and, for the first time, the philosophies underpinning them. Introducing the reality of global warming and its increasingly dire consequences, he identifies the immediate obstructions to coping with the problem, outlines the libertarian ideology behind them and shows how they can be circumvented. Drawing on the wisdom of the ancients in both the East-Asian and Western traditions (as embodied in such figures as Confucius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Dogen, Plato, Epicurus, Marcus Aurelius and Nietzsche), Parkes shows how a greater awareness of non-Western philosophies, and especially the Confucian political philosophy advocated by China, can help us deal effectively with climate change and thrive in a greener future. If some dominant Western philosophical ideas and their instantiation in politics and modern technology got us into our current crisis, Parkes demonstrates persuasively that expanding our philosophical horizons will surely help get us out. Inhaltsverzeichnis PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductions (Background and Book) Part One Reality & Alternatives 1. The Reality of Global Heating2. Specious Promethean Solutions Part Two Covert Operations, Outrageous Obstructions 3. The Rise of the Libertarians4. The Financial Clout of Fossil Fuels5. The Political Power of the Religious Right Part Three Finer Philosophies & Fairer Politics 6. Libertarian Limitations, Religion’s Contributions7. Political Philosophies, Greek and Chinese Part Four Lower Consumption, Higher Fulfilment 8. Sage Advice from the Ancients9. A Good Life with Congenial ThingsInconclusions (What and How?)NotesSelect BibliographySuggestions for Further ReadingIndex...
