Kathy McMahon of peakoilblues.com wrote:Philosopher Doomers
What is humanity?s place in the world? What is our essential nature? It?s common to ask ?can we survive? but ?should we survive?? Would our extinction benefit non-human life on Earth? These are the types of questions that engage a Philosopher Doomer, and these aren?t the rarefied debates that happen in undergraduate philosophy class. Their struggles with the meaning of planetary devastation puts them in the throes of a crisis that they can only resolve by intense personal struggle. debate, and self-reflection.
Ecosophic Subtype
Philosopher Doomers can be powerful advocates for environmental and species preservation, once they have asked and answered (for now) profound questions, and have made some sense of what?s going on around them. While the resolution to that struggle may be personal, the actions they choose to take may not be. They can be mighty warriors in the fight to save the Planet. They don?t see the goal as ?personal survival,? if the planet itself becomes unlivable. These Ecosophic philosophers among us speak of a respect for non-human species, and possess a fierce critique of conventional scientific and religious thought. They dwell on deep and universal truths, and we do well to reflect on their words, if we are strong enough to bear the message. They help us see our place in the world as only a tiny part of the ecosystem.
Nihilistic Subtype
Others are asking whether life has any inherent meaning. Those new to Peak Oil can often struggle with these themes and we do well to hear them out, rather than jump to reassure them that ?everything will work out?You wait and see.? They can disturb our own sense of ?what?s normal? to think, and their pain is deep and moving. We might consider this subtype the ?Nihilistic? Doomer, and it can either be a stage of awareness or be adopted as a philosophical framework. There are many other subtypes of Philosopher Doomers, and some may reject the ?Doomer? label, itself. These include ones we might label ?Primitivists,? ?Neo-Luddites,? and ?Neo-Pagans? to name but a few. What they have in common is an attempt to develop a perspective on life that captures within it the most pressing questions facing all life on Earth.
Deadbeat Doomers
Philosophical Doomers examine the deepest questions of what is the meaning of life here on Earth, and what our place should be in it. Some have faced deep discouragement, and struggle with the senselessness of it all, and have taken the posture of truth-sayers, prophets, advocates, and provocateurs.
Others have reached the decision that nothing can or should be done. This decision may have been reached after varying degrees of thoughtful reflection. Among them, are those who prefer not to think on these things deeply at all, but see the Nihilistic position as an easy way to avoid struggle, or having to motivate themselves to do anything inconvenient at all. ?It?s all hopeless!? is an excuse that allows them to avoid changing anything in their lives, and to direct their anger against other people who try. I?ll call these Doomers ?Deadbeats.? Deadbeat Doomers, mock and ridicule even the discussion of direct action: ?You talk and plan because you are hairless apes and that?s what hairless apes do! Talk on! It?s pointless!? It is ?too lame? for a Deadbeat Doomer to ask ?what should be done?? because they?ve decided that no action promises guaranteed success. They?ve comfortable with the position that ?nothing can be done,? and proudly proclaim ?I don?t store food!?
Their inaction is a logical consequence of their hopelessness: ?We?re all screwed, so don?t ask anything of me!? A Deadbeat Doomer might happily write about how hopeless everything is, but often they don?t bother. ?You all suck anyway, so it isn?t worth my time.? They are the snipers, flaming others in Peak Oil chat rooms. More frightening, they are the folks encouraging those in the grips of nihilistic despair to ?Go ahead. Kill yourself! The planet will be better off!?
Not all are hostile, however. Some simply choose to carry on the same way as before their Peak Oil awareness. Why? Despite the ?Nihilistic? facade, it comes down to the fact that it?s simply easier that way. Others find the resolution to ?hopelessness? in the pursuit of hedonistic pleasure. ?If it?s all going down anyway, I?m gonna get mine, while it?s still here.?
Feelings of futility and hopelessness are not the sole purview of Nihilistic or Deadbeat Doomers, and neither is using hopelessness as an excuse for inaction. We may all seem like Deadbeats when we first learn about Peak Oil, and are struggling with our place in it all. We often ask not only what ?can? be done, but also what ?should? be done, if anything. We feel like throwing up our hands and proclaiming ?It?s hopeless!? during setbacks. But most of us wear these feelings uncomfortably, and prefer to believe that ?doing something? is preferable to ?doing nothing.? We can bear the discomfort of being wrong.
While Philosopher Doomers question essential notions of our place in the world, Deadbeat Doomers challenge the utility of action itself. We all have inner nagging doubts about which actions will be the most constructive, and Deadbeat Doomers highlight fears that we may be wasting our time. They can be the provocateurs, the angry dissenters, the nay-sayers of hope. They speak to our deepest fears of hopelessness, and futility and the industrious next type, the ?Do More Doomers,? especially, resent them for it.
Do-More Doomers
The final type are the ?Do-More Doomers.? In contrast to the concern that adopting a ?doom and gloom? outlook will lead to hopelessness and inaction, these Doomers see the serious state of the world as a call to action. To the Do-More Doomer, all is not lost and even if it is, there?s still lots of work to be done!
Although discouraged at the global level, Do-More Doomers can be optimistic about the capacity of a small group to create meaning in their lives, and promote sustainable communities, often called ?lifeboats.? They may vary in the degree to which they believe such efforts will bring about meaningful community change, but nevertheless, put effort toward that goal. They are founders and volunteers of local sustainability groups. They write books and ebooks that help frame the nature of the problem, and encourage all to lead more self-sufficient lives. They try to create a new focus, a ?decentralization team? that favors all the diversity, variety, contrasts, and struggles that such a notion suggests. They want less ?stuff? in their lives, however, as we will learn, ?Do-More Doomers? are the Peak Oil ?shoppers.? They can be easily overwhelmed by the scope of the task, become impractical when assessing what are ?essential? skills, and admire those who have constructed elaborate plans to change the entire world, and become easily frustrated when the world fails to cooperate. They are vulnerable to feelings ranging from expansive grandiosity to a profound fear of inadequacy.
Most of us like to imagine ourselves as ?useful? and ?industrious.? We hope to scare away the horror that we deeply fear, by putting up enough wheat, planting a big enough garden, or motivating our community toward constructive actions.
Do-More Doomers can often times escape into ?doing? in order to avoid ?feeling? the overwhelming sense of despair and hopelessness that the Nihilistic Doomers are well acquainted with.
