DESIGN OF CLASS

The first part of each class, which comes before the class break, is intended to cover the concepts gleaned from the readings in Stoknes; the second part, coming after the break, is intended to present related ideas from a broader reading of other authors, and a theory about the formation of morality-toned belief systems in PowerPoint presentations.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

PART ONE:
Expectations

(1) Of Students:  To read the assignment as indicated in this Syllabus (about 35 pages per week) prior to the class meeting, and make note of any questions or comments you would like to offer in group discussion.

(2) Of Instructor: To lead the class in discussion of ideas prompted by the reading.  Sample discussion questions and ideas are provided.       

A. Objectives of course

1. To learn some basic processes which govern deep-seated beliefs and how a personal World View is formed. (World View is an assembly of feelings, attitudes, beliefs and morality assumptions which inform and influence our social, religious and political behavior.)
2. To be able to describe and give examples of:
   a. Confirmation bias
   b. Cognitive dissonance
   c. Influence of group identification
   d. The silo effect
3. To understand the significance of “fast” and “slow” thinking.
4. To learn better about how to listen and to employ some strategies such as “reframing” and “nudges” to keep the conversation going.
5. To be able, in a conversation with an opponent, to give an empathetic representation of your opposite’s point of view.
6. To know some community-based actions that are appropriate for dealing with climate change.
7. To understand significant aspects of climate anxiety and depression and some strategies for dealing with mental health consequences of this crisis.
8. To appreciate that there is no certain objective reality or absolute truth, that different societies or social groups establish their own processes for establishing what is (tentatively?) true.
9. To recognize the motivations and actions of some political groups which oppose climate change amelioration.  

PART TWO:
Understanding What We Are Talking About

A. References

1. Figueres and Rivett-Carnac: The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis

“We are still just barely inside a zone where we can stove off the worst and manage the remaining long term effects.  But only if we do what is required of us in the short term.”

2. The House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis: Solving the Climate Crisis

From the Executive Summary: “With the health and economic consequences of climate change growing at home and abroad, and in concert with the international community to provide a livable climate for today’s youth and future generations” …this report is presented…

3. Introduction of Haidt’s Moral Foundations Theory which identifies the emotional basis for our political and religious beliefs (PowerPoint).  

MENTAL PROCESSES OF SKEPTICS REACTING TO
SCIENTIFIC ASSERTIONS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

PART ONE:

A. Assigned Reading: Stoknes  pp. xiii- 34

B. Suggested Discussion – Questions 

1. What is the climate paradox?
2. What is the usual reaction when a climate change skeptic is confronted by scientific facts?
3. How do each of these genetically developed forces influence our reactions to climate change?
   a. Self interest
   b. Status
   c. Imitation
   d. Short termism
   e. Risk avoidance

PART TWO:
The Moral Basis for Our World Views

A. Reference: Jonathan Haidt: The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Moral Foundation Theory:

1. Group-oriented genetic predispositions developed through the need for human survival:

   a. Care versus harm avoidance
   b. Fairness versus cheating
   c. Loyalty versus betrayal
   d. Authority versus subversion
   e. Sanctity (protection of sacred symbols) versus degradation
   f. Freedom versus institutional control

   These are inborn tendencies concerning feelings of right and wrong which serve to solidify the group.

2. The earliest influences are family/small group teaching
   a. Conservative families tend to emphasize authority, loyalty, sanctity (cleanliness, sacredness), fairness (just deserts)
   b. Liberal families tend to emphasize care and fairness (equality, justice)
3. Article: Adam Frank: “…Experiments show that preaching and prosecutions usually backfire, and what doesn’t sway people may strengthen their beliefs.”  NYT Opinion, 1/3/21

(Publication sources are shown in the Bibliography at the end of this syllabus.)

PERCEPTION, SOCIAL INFLUENCE, AND BELIEF

PART ONE:
Perception, Social Influence, and Belief

A. Assigned Reading: Stoknes  pp. 35-69

B. Suggested Discussion – Questions 

1. Describe the concepts of “salience” and “distance” as they pertain to perception and readiness to believe.
2. How does perception of risk play into the attitude toward climate change?
3. Describe the various categories of people in terms of their concern about climate change.

PART TWO:
Social Influences: The Power of Group Identification

A. References:

1. Haidt: How do we know what to believe?  The significance of group (social class) membership and identification in forming beliefs.
2. Articles:
   a. Jonathan Rauch: “The Constitution of Knowledge”
   “What is objective reality? “…humans have no direct access to an objective reality independent of our minds and senses, and subjective certainty is in no way a guarantee of truth…philosophers have a pretty good working definition of objective reality.  It is a set of propositions that have been validated in some way…a critical mass needs to agree on what it is we do that distinguishes truth from falsehood, and more important who does it (by rules). The community that follows these rules is by no means limited to scholars and scientists.  It also includes journalism, the courts, law enforcement and the intelligence community—all evidence-based professions that require competing hypotheses to be tested and justified.” National Affairs, Fall 2018

Instructor’s note: Rauch’s model prevails in WEIRD (western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic) societies.  Other societies or cultures may utilize [sometimes exclusively] other means [e.g. tradition, religious teachings, widespread anger, conspiracy theories, charisma of a leader, passion or intensity for a dissident belief] as the exclusive basis for “truth.”

OVERCOMING THE BARRIERS TO
CLIMATE CHANGE ACCEPTANCE

PART ONE:
Devices to Protect Our World View

A. Assigned Reading: Stoknes  pp. 70-109

B. Suggested Discussion – Questions 

1. What are some of the personal issues that have given climate denial powerful impetus?
2. What are some of the strategies which can be used to overcome barriers to climate change acceptance and action?

PART TWO:
Social Class Conflict

A. References:

1. Book: Currid-Halkett: The Sum of All things; A Theory of the Aspirational Class

    “The Leisure Class” described by Veblen has been replaced by a new elite whose members care about discreet consumption.  They tend to be technically or professionally trained, depend upon access to rarified information, cultivate their children’s growth and education, practice yoga, eat organic food, reproduce wealth and upward mobility, invest for retirement, and build upon cultural capital.  They deepen the cultural divide.

2. Articles:
   a. Edsall: “The resentment that never sleeps”

   “ Status has always been part of American politics, but right now a variety of social changes have threatened the status of working class and rural whites who used to feel they had a secure, middle class status position in American society….The reduction of working-class wages and job security, growing demographic diversity, and increasing urbanization of the population have greatly undercut that sense and fueled political reaction.”  (Cecelia Ridgeway, Stanford U.), NYT Opinion Page 12/9/20

   b: Eli J.Finkel, et al; “Political Sectarianism in the United States”

   “A poisonous cocktail of othering, aversion and moralization poses a threat to democracy… First… The parties have sorted along racial, religious, educational and geographical lines… Second, as Americans have grown more receptive to consuming information slanted through a partisan lens, the media ecosystem has inflamed political sectarianism… Third, in contrast to the equivocal ideological-polarization trends among the public, politicians and other political elites have unambiguously polarized recently on ideological ground.” Science; Policy Forum; Social Science, October 30, 2020

   c. David Brooks, “Who is Driving Inequality?  You are”

   “Inherited inequality is bad enough.  But it’s the geographic concentration that is really turning America into a caste society:  Affluent people used to be spread around… Now those of us in the top 20 percent of earners are concentrated in talent-rich zones…The already advantaged build rich communities and multiply another one’s advantage even more.  It takes a village to raise a Stanford grad.” NYT Opinion Page 4/23/20

FORMULATING THE ARGUMENT, STRATEGIZING THE APPROACH

PART ONE:

A. Assigned Reading: Stoknes  pp. 110-131

B. Suggested Discussion – Questions 

1. What is meant by “re-framing?” Give significant examples.
2. What are “nudges” which can be implemented to make opposing climate change denial worthwhile?

PART TWO:
Two Modes of Thinking

A. References:

1. Books:
   a. Kahneman:  Thinking, Fast and Slow
   “My main aim here is to present a view of how the mind works that draws on recent developments in cognitive and social psychology….We now understand the marvelous as well as the flaws of intuitive thought.”.

   b. Thaler and Sunstein:  Improving Decision Making Through Nudges 
   “If incentives and nudges replace requirements and bans, government will be both smaller and more modest. So to be clear: we are not for bigger government, just for better governance.”

2. Articles:
   a. Greg Weiner, “How do We Get to Herd Immunity for Fake News? 
   “In a free society, the best response to viral misinformation is to fortify our immune system against it, informationally speaking, by developing citizens who are motivated and able to distinguish truth from fiction. Perhaps more important, these citizens must be able to deal with the nuance in between.” NYT Opinion 12/14/20

   b. Alan D. Solomont, “Our Democracy Demands Civic Education” 
   “Our expectations for what students should learn have been set far too low.  It is one thing to teach that there are three branches of Government and what each one does.  It is more ambitious to expect every young American to know how to select good information, to reason with people who may disagree about complex problems, to influence a range of institutions effectively—and to uphold the core values of our republic.”

Instructor’s Note: Critique of teaching critical thinking as a strategy:  The importance of teaching critical thinking, as well as history and civics for the envelopment of citizenship is certain; but such programs have to be long-term and must overcome confirmation bias, cognitive dissonance and group influence.                            

SCALING THE WALLS OF THE DENIAL PSYCHE

PART ONE:
Signs of Acceptance?

A. Assigned Reading: Stoknes  pp. 132-162

B. Suggested Discussion – Questions 

1. What can you add to the stories we tell which can enliven “save the planet thinking?”

2. What are some of the signs of progress in dealing with climate change?

PART TWO:
Let’s Be Strategic

A. References:

1. Articles:
   a. Adam Grant, “The Science of Reasoning with Unreasonable People”
   “Don’t try to change someone’s mind.  Instead, help them find their own motivation to change… You do that by interviewing them—asking open-ended questions and listening carefully—holding up a mirror so they can see their own thoughts more clearly.” NYT Opinion 1/31/21

   b. Anne Applebaum, “Coexistence Is the Only Option“ 
   “…the seditionists have indeed declared their independence from the rest of us.  January 6 was indeed to a different rule book.  And yet they cannot be wished away, or sent away, or somehow locked up.  They will not leave of their own accord, and Americans who accept Biden’s lawful victory won’t either. We have no choice except to coexist…. Here’s another idea:  drop the argument and change the subject.”  Examples given of successful coexistence, including Northern Ireland. The Atlantic Ideas 1/20/21

   c. Thomas b. Edsall, “The QAnon Delusion Has Not Loosened its Grip”
   “… in a 12/30/20 NPR/Ipsos Poll :  17 % of Americans believe in the myth about the child sex ring; a third believe voter fraud helped Biden win the presidential election, 39% agree that there is a deep state working to undermine President Trump. “Conspiracy theorists are more likely to believe the world is a dangerous place full of bad people”… “more likely to share false information, more accepting of political violence.  Conspiracy theories raise the temperature of polarization and make it more difficult for people from ideological camps to have data-based discussions about political matters, even those that are in critical need of immediate attention.”

DEALING WITH CLIMATE DESPAIR

PART ONE:
Employing the Imagination

A. Assigned Reading: Stoknes  pp. 161-201

1. The emerging climate change pandemic will impose upon us and our progeny immense new stresses. What are some of the mental techniques the author suggests for standing up to depression and other issues?

2. What does the author mean by “opening to the world?”

PART TWO:
Meeting our Emotional Problems Head-On

A. References:

1. Book: Davenport: Emotional Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change: A Clinician’s Guide.

    

2. Article: Max Goodman: “Why We Need Climate Stoicism to Overcome Climate Despair;”
   “Climate despair is just the natural result of two increasingly pervasive ideas: first, if society doesn’t decarbonize in the next 30 years, we’ll be staring down the barrel of a global environmental cataclism; and second, there’s no way we’re going to decarbonize in time.  Neither idea is entirely wrong, but both are drastically overly simplified, and when carelessly combined, they demotivate in a moment when we desperately need motivation… Our last and best hope is to invite nuance back into our rhetoric… A good Stoic journeys into darkness and emerges able to cope with the real world,.” State of the Planet, Earth Institute, Columbia University, May 19, 2020

FINDING HOPE IN THE AIR WE BREATHE
AND IN INTERNAL COMMITMENT

PART ONE:
Techniques

A. Assigned Reading: Stoknes  pp. 202-227

1. Suggested Discussion – Questions

   a. What is the value if any, of imaging our surround of living air?  How can this metaphor be of help?

   b. What do you make out of the (Zen?) paradox, “It’s hopeless and I’ll give it my all?”

PART TWO: 
Recognizing and Dealing with
Climate Anxiety, Acceptance and Engagement

A. References:

1. Articles:

   a. Daniel Dodgen, Mental Health and Well-Being 
   “The mental health and well-being consequences of extreme events, particularly natural disasters, are common and form a significant part of the overall effects on health.  These consequences of climate-change related impacts rarely occur in isolation, but often interact with other social and environmental stressors.”  U.S Dept. of Human Services, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States – A Scientific Assessment, 2016   

   b. Tina Donvito, “Climate Change and Mental Health:”
   “Dealing with Climate Despair” “I have to accept my discomfort that the future is unknown, while knowing that there are things that I can do to help make a difference.”  My Healthy Newsetter 12/04/20

   c. Eve Andrews, “Climate Anxiety Doesn’t Have To Ruin Your Life; Here’s How to Manage It” 
   “Confront the end of your own life, then figure out one thing you can do to channel your anxiety effectively.” One person creates beautiful sculpture of corals.  Another works on a food sovereignty project.  Another organizes her community and gets involved in politics.  Grist – The Weekly  Sept. 5, 2017 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS:

1. Currid-Halkett, Elizabeth, The Sum of Small Things: A Theory of the Aspirational Class, Princeton, Princeton University Press 2017,  ISBN search
2. Davenport, Leslie, Emotional Resliency in the Era of Climate Change:  A Clinician’s Guide, [pb: Out of print, Kindle available from Amazon], ISBN search
3. Figueres, Christiana and Rivett-Carnac, Tom, The Future We Choose: Surviving the Climate Crisis, New York, Knopf 2020, ISBN search 
4. Haidt, Jonathan, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, New York, Vintage (Random House) 2012, ISBN search
5. Stoknes, Per Espen, What We Think About When We Try Not to Think about Global Warming: Toward a New Psychology of Climate Action, Chelsea Green Publishing, 85 North Main St., Ste.120, Tel. 802-295- 6300, 120 White River Junction, Vermont 05001 2015, ISBN search
6. Thaler, Richard H. and Sunstein, Cass R., Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, New York, Penguin Books, 2008, ISBN search

PERIODICALS:

1. Andrews, Eve, “Climate Anxiety Doesn’t Have to Ruin Your Life. Here’s How to Manage It.  Grist Weekly, Sep.t. 5, 2017
2. Applebaum, Anne, “Coexistence is the Only Option.”  The Atlantic  Jan. 20, 2021
3. Brooks, David, “Who Is Driving Inequality?  You Are.”  New York Times Opinion Page  Apr. 23, 2020
4. Brooks, David, “The Rotting of the Republican Mind”  New York Times Opinion Page  Nov. 26, 2020
5. Brooks, David, “Letter to a Young Republican” New York Times Opinion Page  Feb. 18, 2021
6. Donvito, Tina, “Dealing With Climate Despair: Climate Change and Mental Health, My Healthy Newsletter  Dec.4, 2020
7. Edsall, Thomaqs B., “The Resentment That Never Sleeps.”  New York Times Opinion Page, Dec. 9, 2020
8. Edsall, Thomas B., “America, We Have a Problem.”  New York Times Opinion Page, Dec. 16, 2020
9. Edsall, Tomas B., “The QAnon Delusion Has not Loosened Its’ Grip.”  New York Times Opinion Page, Feb 20, 2021 
10. Finkel, Elie, et al, “Political Sectarianism in America”  Science, Policy Forum, Social Science, Oct. 30, 2020
11. Friedman, Thomas L., “Cyberspace Plus Donald Trump Almost Killed Our Democracy. Can Europe Save Us?”  New York Times Opinion Page, Feb. 9, 2021
12. Goodman, Max, “Why We Need Climate Stoicism to Overcome Climate Despair”  State of the Planet: Earth Institute/Columbia University, May 19, 2020   
13. Grant, Adam, “The Science of Reasoning With Unreasonable People”  New York Times Opinion Page, Jan. 31, 2021
14. Larsen, Patricia, “A Majority of People Arrested for Capitol Riot Had a History of Financial Trouble” Quora: Bring Back Democracy, Feb. 11, 2021
15. Rauch, Jonathan, “The Constitution of Knowledge” National Affairs, Fall 2018
16. Solomont, Alan D., “Our Democracy Demands Civic Education” Kennebec Journal Opinion Page, Jan. 29, 2021