profmartinamills.bsky.social
Chair in Anthropology, Univ. of Aberdeen; Dir. Scottish Centre for Himalayan Research. Open to both reasoned argument and clear evidence, so opinions my own.
27 posts
56 followers
37 following
Getting Started
Active Commenter
comment in response to
post
The trick, he argues, is to STOP trying to be a 'good soldier': determine what your goals are and whether they are ethical, and then reorganize your world to serve those goals, rather than the other way round. Squeeze the demands of others into your life, not your life into the demands of others.
comment in response to
post
As with everyone else, I feel your pain in this one. Having tried to get my head around the Distraction Treadmill, I found Cal Newport's book, Deep Work, to be the best and most helpful take on this.
comment in response to
post
Well yes. The South China Sea, Greenland, the Panama Canal, border tensions between China and India over Tibetan water resources, the BRICS economic realignments. The geopolitical world IS adapting to climate change, because there remains no clear economic vision on how to achieve mitigation.
comment in response to
post
Similarly, it seems clear that both the Trump, Chinese and Russian administrations do understand the science. The message they get from it: "Bad times are coming; grab as much land and resources as possible if your nation is to survive". Land and sea are the most vital political resources now.
comment in response to
post
Climate activists need to realise that 'climate justice' arguments are clearly ineffective, and therefore irresponsible. The only message that many rich and powerful people - the ones that need to be persuaded - will get from your argument above is simple: "Don't be poor."
comment in response to
post
Yes, alas, while you can cut a deal ON the climate, you cannot cut a deal WITH the climate. The house always wins, and we ain’t the house any more.
comment in response to
post
Perhaps, but we're chewing up most of Inner Asia to do it. Solar energy isn't free, and neither is hydro: they both cost in terms of mining, land and water damage and seismic spillover. this isn't a question of injustice, just incompetent governance and poorly thought out economics.
comment in response to
post
Yes, organisations like the Beeb seem to have parallel tracks: “Oooh, isn’t climate change terrible” and “Oooh, isn’t growth and tech wonderful”. All on the same programme within minutes of one another.
comment in response to
post
“A very vicious outside world”?
comment in response to
post
The present polarisation of debate in the North Atlantic public sphere between “progressives” and “conservatives” is closing down genuine inquiry and debate, at precisely the time when we face some of our most serious challenges. We need to do better.
comment in response to
post
While it is clear that what you say is too often true, this is not higher education. Universities are meant to be places of inquiry, not political or cultural brand. I promise my students As if they change my mind on a topic, not for copying my views or the ‘school line’.
comment in response to
post
The present polarisation of debate between progressives and conservatives in the public sphere (media, politics, academia) is narrowing and shutting down inquiry or movement on some of our most serious global challenges. We need to do better.
comment in response to
post
While that is often the case, it constitutes precisely the kind of compromising of institutions that the original post was talking about. Universities are meant to be places of INQUIRY, not political or cultural brand. I give my students As for changing my mind, not copying me or ‘the school line’.
comment in response to
post
I agree...institutions need protecting from within and from without.
comment in response to
post
True. I was never taught to cook, but I saw that my parents & grandparents COULD cook. That was enough, so I taught myself, one recipe at a time. It was, y'know, fun.
comment in response to
post
Universities.
comment in response to
post
Economics. Understand it, its limitations and its flaws. If we can’t make an economic argument for effective mitigation, everything else is - quite literally - hot air.
comment in response to
post
In fairness, he really doesn’t like windmills. Especially not in the in the North Sea. They spoil the view of his favourite golf course! www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scot...
comment in response to
post
Yes, this is true: look at the national debt of most first world economies (UK, China, France, Germany, Japan), they all took a debt spike then. As did many of our bank balances!
comment in response to
post
You cannot genuinely mitigate climate change without a clear understanding of its underlying causes. Since we DON’T truly understand those causes, this is simply shutting the door after the horse has bolted.