Hope for Cynics

You may be thinking, “Isn’t this kind of a strange title for a climate change or environmentally focused book?”.  And your skepticism would be correct.  Only the last chapter deals with the topic of climate change, which illustrates the author’s thesis: cynicism is a negative and hurtful human trait, whereas, hopeful skepticism helps us become open to and appreciate each other as we engage in solving difficult problems such as the climate crisis. I recommend this book as a template for engaging with others over the issue of climate change and what it portends for the future of life on this planet.

First, we need to understand Zaki’s terminology.  Cynicism is exemplified by the 17^th century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, who asserted that human beings, left to their own devices, are “nasty, brutish, and short.”  Cynics view humanity in negative terms, assuming they will find negativity, and do find it because they look for nothing else. There is no way to fix a broken system, change an opinion to a more positive viewpoint, or hope things will get better.

On the other hand, a skeptic approaches people and issues with a more open mind, exhibiting a reluctance to believe claims without evidence.  Zaki claims that a hopeful skeptic combines a love for humanity with a precise, curious mind.  Skeptics look for people they can trust, focus on a particular issue or problem, and then go about finding solutions  seeking information that leads to making things better. 

My attraction to this definition of skepticism is that it is the best approach to engage people in recognizing and finding solutions to the climate crisis that affects all of humanity. Now, how does the author uses climate change as an example of hopeful skepticism?

In the chapter called, “Our Common Fate,”  Zika points out that the climate crisis has made many people, including himself, “climate doomers.”  An interesting definition.  It is triggered by cynical thinking that the climate crisis is too big, too out of control, such that people are overwhelmed and become fatalistic.  Because of this a majority of people don’t engage in addressing the issue. Nothing can be done, so why try?  Of course, those in power, politicians, energy executives, want to keep our cynicism alive so they don’t have to address the issue.

Hope can start this way: We are not, by birth, the planet’s enemies.  Caring for ourselves, one another, and the future can all be the same thing.”  Zaki illustrates hopeful skepticism for climate issues this way: “The point is that we don’t know what will happen, and can still make choices that matter.  And if we are to find a way to live in greater harmony with the world, that would not be a shocking departure from human nature, but an expression of our deepest values.”  The author then describes hope in dealing with climate issues as “as a path to being less wrong and more effective.  We can use that hope, like a divining rod, to locate others who want the same things we do, building solidarity and common cause.”  If I want to be hopeful for addressing climate issues to bring about a more livable future, I and all of us, need to bring others to the table as hopeful skeptics, to share in creating that more hopeful future.

John Hanson