Papers by Dan Boscov-Ellen
Spectre Journal, 2023
Marx in the Anthropocene touches on, and has ignited further controversy around, a number of key ... more Marx in the Anthropocene touches on, and has ignited further controversy around, a number of key debates within contemporary left ecotheory. But the core of Saito's argument is that the rapid deterioration of planetary ecology has demonstrated that "capitalism is
Azimuth, 2023
One of the questions raised by this special edition is how the climate crisis is «changing and ex... more One of the questions raised by this special edition is how the climate crisis is «changing and expanding the conceptual spectrum and epistemic field of contemporary philosophy». In this paper I attempt to understand why, in important sectors of contemporary philosophy, the climate crisis has actually failed to effect a meaningful transformation. In particular, I note that the observed changes in the field of normative political philosophy, for which one might expect climate breakdown to be especially disruptive, have in fact been quite modest. I argue that an expanded model of climate denialism-one that understands denialism concerning the existence of climate change and denialism concerning its structural causes and political-theoretical entailments as two species with a common underlying source-can help to explain this gap between the current state of normative political philosophy and the exigencies of our planetary reality.
Capitalism Nature Socialism, Aug 23, 2018
Dipesh Chakrabarty has drawn criticism from leftist thinkers for his insistence that humanity as ... more Dipesh Chakrabarty has drawn criticism from leftist thinkers for his insistence that humanity as a whole is responsible for climate change, and thus that humanity as a whole has a shared responsibility to confront it. While it has been repeatedly pointed out that this highly abstract universalism covers over massive and analytically crucial disparities in responsibility for and vulnerability to climate change, few critics have closely examined Chakrabarty's pivot from a staunchly anti-universalist stance to this strong universalist humanism. I argue that reconstructing and critiquing the intellectual-historical arc that lead Chakrabarty to this surprising shift can help to soften antagonisms between Marxism and postcolonial thought that currently stand in the way of an adequate understanding of the climate problem.
Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal, 2016
Capitalism Nature Socialism, 2018
Dipesh Chakrabarty has drawn criticism from leftist thinkers for his insistence that humanity as ... more Dipesh Chakrabarty has drawn criticism from leftist thinkers for his insistence that humanity as a whole is responsible for climate change, and thus that humanity as a whole has a shared responsibility to confront it. While it has been repeatedly pointed out that this highly abstract universalism covers over massive and analytically crucial disparities in responsibility for and vulnerability to climate change, few critics have closely examined Chakrabarty's pivot from a staunchly anti-universalist stance to this strong universalist humanism. I argue that reconstructing and critiquing the intellectual-historical arc that lead Chakrabarty to this surprising shift can help to soften antagonisms between Marxism and postcolonial thought that currently stand in the way of an adequate understanding of the climate problem.
Environmental Values, 2019
Mainstream ethical debates concerning responsibility for climate change tend to overemphasise emi... more Mainstream ethical debates concerning responsibility for climate change tend to overemphasise emissions and consumption while ignoring or downplaying the structural drivers of climate change and vulnerability. Failure to examine the political-economic dynamics that have produced climate change and made certain people more susceptible to its harms results in inapposite accounts of responsibility. Recognition of the structural character of the problem suggests duties beyond emissions reduction and redistribution - including, potentially, a responsibility to fundamentally restructure our political and economic institutions.
Graduate Faculty Philosophy Journal, 2016
Mainstream ethical debates concerning responsibility for climate change tend to overemphasise emi... more Mainstream ethical debates concerning responsibility for climate change tend to overemphasise emissions and consumption while ignoring or downplaying the structural drivers of climate change and vulnerability. Failure to examine the political-economic dynamics that have produced climate change and made certain people more susceptible to its harms results in inapposite accounts of responsibility. Recognition of the structural character of the problem suggests duties beyond emissions reduction and redistribution-including, potentially, a responsibility to fundamentally restructure our political and economic institutions.
Dipesh Chakrabarty has drawn criticism from leftist thinkers for his insistence that humanity as ... more Dipesh Chakrabarty has drawn criticism from leftist thinkers for his insistence that humanity as a whole is responsible for climate change, and thus that humanity as a whole has a shared responsibility to confront it. While it has been repeatedly pointed out that this highly abstract universalism covers over massive and analytically crucial disparities in responsibility for and vulnerability to climate change, few critics have closely examined Chakrabarty’s pivot from a staunchly anti-universalist stance to this strong universalist humanism. I argue that reconstructing and critiquing the intellectual-historical arc that led Chakrabarty to this surprising shift can help to soften antagonisms between Marxism and postcolonial thought thatcurrently stand in the way of an adequate understanding of the climate problem.
Book Reviews by Dan Boscov-Ellen
Oxford Public Philosophy, 2023
Capitalism in the Web of Life: Ecology and the Accumulation of Capital (New York: Verso, 2015).
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Papers by Dan Boscov-Ellen
Book Reviews by Dan Boscov-Ellen