The most contagious feelings, the clearest thoughts, of others are clear or contagious only because I can readily make them my own.
George Santayana - Scepticism and Animal Faith (1923)
Suppose we choose Prince William as an example of celebrities who strongly support the orthodox climate change narrative. Wills believes the climate doom narrative we might say with a considerable degree of confidence. For example -
Jacinda Ardern appointed trustee of Prince William's Earthshot Prize
Prince William said it was an honour to welcome the former leader of New Zealand to the Earthshot Prize.
Yet –
If Wills doesn’t have a solid grasp of the scientific complexities, what specifically does he believe? Presumably he accepts lots of orthodox climate hearsay, as his father does. Maybe that isn’t too serious, apart from supporting the futile expenditure of billions of pounds. That level of expenditure shouldn’t be driven by those who merely believe hearsay though.
Alternatively, anyone may be sceptical about the climate narrative after observing the inconsistent behaviour of believers, including Wills, other celebrities and even climate scientists. The private jets, the international conferences, the absence of any observable intention to adopt a low impact lifestyle. Wills appears to believe without worthwhile changes to his personal lifestyle.
Either Wills cannot believe the orthodox climate narrative or –
Or maybe ‘belief’ isn’t the best word. It has all the baggage of ideas coherently organised inside a person’s head. Suppose belief isn’t like that at all, being a much shallower and significantly impersonal consequence of popular language.
Wills takes ownership of orthodox climate language because socially it is inescapably appropriate for him to make it his own. Because the clearest thoughts, of others are clear or contagious only because I can readily make them my own.
Polar bears on ice floes, impassioned rhetoric, dire predictions and much more. Wills can make all this his own and he does. The language is easy to learn and socially contagious. Acquiring the contagion is caused by inadequate social distancing we might say, tongue in cheek.
Wills and many other celebrities do not need to understand the real world complexities of climate change. All they need to understand is how to use the popular language and that is a simple matter of imitation. The private jets and trivial lifestyle changes tell us how shallow it all is. Very shallow indeed.
Wills and many other celebrities do not need to understand the real world complexities of climate change. All they need to understand is how to use the popular language and that is a simple matter of imitation. The private jets and trivial lifestyle changes tell us how shallow it all is. Very shallow indeed.
2 comments:
It's a bit like a dress code, isn't it. William knows that when he attends formal dinners he needs to dress in a penguin suit; and when he is in the countryside for a spot of shooting, then it's tweeds and Schoffel. I don't think it goes any deeper than that. When the cameras are on, he talks about climate and how we all have to love the planet.
I wonder whether he has just absorbed this from being schooled at Eton and hanging out with other young upper-class people, or whether there is a deliberate attempt on the part of his advisers to steer him in a particular direction to make the royals seem more relevant.
And you are right. Behind it all lurks the brute fact that he uses up a hugely disproportionate amount of the planet's resources. Someone thinks we are completely stupid, and we need to remind them that we have eyes to see...
Sam - it's as if most people can't be sceptical except from an orthodox standpoint. There seems to be an involuntary aspect to it which we see in William. He has to be orthodox or disappear into sceptical obscurity.
I suspect he is what he is because of both Eton and his advisers steering him in a particular direction. He has to be somewhat irrational because anything else would lead him towards scepticism.
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