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Catastrophe Ethics

How to Be Good in a World Gone Bad

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Catastrophe Ethics

By: Travis Rieder
Narrated by: Travis Rieder
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About this listen

Humankind has never before faced challenges of the scale and complexity of today. In a hyper-globalised world hurtling towards environmental destruction, how do we determine the right actions? Do our individual efforts to avoid plastic or air travel, or to drive electric, make any real difference?

We need to expand our ethical toolkit. The mental tools most of us rely on to ‘do the right thing’ just don’t work when it comes to reasoning about such huge collective problems. From the small stuff like single-use plastics to major decisions like whether to have children, Rieder defines exactly how we can change our thinking and lead a decent, meaningful life in a scary, complicated world. Here’s how to build your own catastrophe ethics.

©2024 Travis Rieder. First published in the United Kingdom by Duckworth in (P)2024 Penguin Random House LLC Ecology Environment Ethics & Morality Nature & Ecology Outdoors & Nature Philosophy Politics & Government Science

Critic reviews

'Smart, splendid, and brave. A crash course in ethics from an expert philosopher that gave me hope for the future ... for anyone who cares about doing good in the world.' (Anna Lembke, New York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation)
'With an open mind and a firm grasp of the issues, Rieder brings the question of living a decent life into the modern era.' (Kirkus Reviews)
'Eloquent, incisive and highly engaging … an indispensable exploration of the choices we can make in a complex and challenging time.' (Ben Goldsmith, environmentalist and financier)
‘A fascinating and thought-provoking guide to navigating the ethics of the climate crisis’ (Siddarth Shrikanth, author of The Case for Nature)
'An excellent resource for the environmentally conscious weighing their life’s choices' (Publishers Weekly, Starred Review)
All stars
Most relevant  
Rieder argues and proposes useful ways to think and introspect about ones place in the world.
Validating and giving shape to some of my own ideas was useful to read.
However, its not effectively argued, how those with limited means are supposed to follow through with ethical decisions.
His friends are gifted land on which they have created a subsistence lifestyle; his own choices are from a place of financial security and privilege.
If you want to make ethical decisions on a low budget, it is almost impossible. You have to use factory farmed products and make do with the heating systems in your rented home and fossil-fueled transport.
Maybe that's the point, that those of us who have the privilege to do so, should do more.
I'm grateful for the questions the book poses.

Refreshing, challenging

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It goes on and on and doesn't say much new. Found it quite a trying listen.

Very repetitive

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