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Learning to Die in the Anthropocene: Reflections on the End of a Civilization (City Lights Open Media) Paperback – October 6, 2015

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 526 ratings

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"In Learning to Die in the Anthropocene, Roy Scranton draws on his experiences in Iraq to confront the grim realities of climate change. The result is a fierce and provocative book."--Elizabeth Kolbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History

"Roy Scranton's Learning to Die in the Anthropocene presents, without extraneous bullshit, what we must do to survive on Earth. It's a powerful, useful, and ultimately hopeful book that more than any other I've read has the ability to change people's minds and create change. For me, it crystallizes and expresses what I've been thinking about and trying to get a grasp on. The economical way it does so, with such clarity, sets the book apart from most others on the subject."--Jeff VanderMeer, author of the Southern Reach trilogy

"Roy Scranton lucidly articulates the depth of the climate crisis with an honesty that is all too rare, then calls for a reimagined humanism that will help us meet our stormy future with as much decency as we can muster. While I don't share his conclusions about the potential for social movements to drive ambitious mitigation, this is a wise and important challenge from an elegant writer and original thinker. A critical intervention."--Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate

"Concise, elegant, erudite, heartfelt & wise."--Amitav Ghosh, author of Flood of Fire

"War veteran and journalist Roy Scranton combines memoir, philosophy, and science writing to craft one of the definitive documents of the modern era."--The Believer Best Books of 2015

Coming home from the war in Iraq, US Army private Roy Scranton thought he'd left the world of strife behind. Then he watched as new calamities struck America, heralding a threat far more dangerous than ISIS or Al Qaeda: Hurricane Katrina, Superstorm Sandy, megadrought--the shock and awe of global warming.

Our world is changing. Rising seas, spiking temperatures, and extreme weather imperil global infrastructure, crops, and water supplies. Conflict, famine, plagues, and riots menace from every quarter. From war-stricken Baghdad to the melting Arctic, human-caused climate change poses a danger not only to political and economic stability, but to civilization itself . . . and to what it means to be human. Our greatest enemy, it turns out, is ourselves. The warmer, wetter, more chaotic world we now live in--the Anthropocene--demands a radical new vision of human life.

In this bracing response to climate change, Roy Scranton combines memoir, reportage, philosophy, and Zen wisdom to explore what it means to be human in a rapidly evolving world, taking readers on a journey through street protests, the latest findings of earth scientists, a historic UN summit, millennia of geological history, and the persistent vitality of ancient literature. Expanding on his influential New York Times essay (the #1 most-emailed article the day it appeared, and selected for Best American Science and Nature Writing 2014), Scranton responds to the existential problem of global warming by arguing that in order to survive, we must come to terms with our mortality.

Plato argued that to philosophize is to learn to die. If that’s true, says Scranton, then we have entered humanity’s most philosophical age--for this is precisely the problem of the Anthropocene. The trouble now is that we must learn to die not as individuals, but as a civilization.

Roy Scranton has published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Boston Review, and Theory and Event, and has been interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air, among other media.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

More praise for Learning to Die in the Anthropocene:

"Roy Scranton gets it. He knows in his bones that this civilization is over. He knows it is high time to start again the human dance of making some other way to live. In his distinctive and original way he works though a common cultural inheritance, making it something fresh and new for these all too interesting times. This compressed, essential text offers both uncomfortable truths and unexpected joy."--McKenzie Wark, author of Molecular Red: Theory for the Anthropocene

"We're f*cked. We know it. Kind of. But Roy Scranton in this blistering new book goes down to the darkness, looks hard and doesn't blink. He even brings back a few, hard-earned slivers of light. . . . What is philosophy? It's time comprehended in thought. This is our time and Roy Scranton has had the courage to think it in prose that sometimes feels more like bullets than bullet points."--Simon Critchley, Co-founder and moderator of The New York Times online philosophy series "The Stone"

"An eloquent, ambitious, and provocative book."--Rob Nixon, author of Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor

"Roy Scranton has written a howl for the Anthropocene--a book full of passion, fire, science and wisdom. It cuts deeper than anything that has yet been written on the subject."--Dale Jamieson, author of Reason in a Dark Time: Why the Struggle to Stop Climate Change Failed--And What It Means For Our Future

"As a motivator, the concept Life hasn't been working out so great, hardwired as it is into the post-Neolithic drive to exist no matter what the quality of that existence. Life won't help you to live. Including ecological awareness in our political decisions means including as much death in as many different modes (psychic, philosophical, social) as we can manage. Roy Scranton has written an essential recipe book for adding some death to the bland, oppressive and ecologically disastrous human cake."--Timothy Morton, author of Ecology without Nature: Rethinking Environmental Aesthetics

"In the brief but crowded pages of Learning to Die in the Anthropocene, Iraq War veteran, Roy Scranton, wields both history and philosophy as forensic tools. With the unblinking eyes of a medical examiner, he systematically reveals the causes, trajectory and outcome of our planetary domination and its subsequent climate crisis. Slicing away obscuring adipose tissue of romanticism on the left and denial on the right, he pinpoints the source of the corpse's demise."--Jose Knighton, Weller Book Works' Newsletter

"Scranton has always been a few steps ahead of other veteran-authors. . . . Learning to Die in the Anthropocene casts a beautiful allure."--Peter Molin, Time Now

"Scranton’s book has its own kind of power. . . . There is something cathartic about his refusal to shy away from the full scope of our predicament."--Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, The Los Angeles Review of Books

"This is a small book with big ideas from an Army veteran who views the flooding after Hurricane Katrina and sees 'the same chaos and collapse I’d seen in Baghdad.' Scranton brings meaning and humor to the mayhem."--J. Ford Huffman, The Military Times

"With clarity and conviction, Scranton explores the global failure to address the climate crisis and the possibility that the planet could become uninhabitable. Referring to classic texts as far back as The Epic of Gilgamesh, he urges readers to face their fear of death and find guidance in literature as they prepare for and adapt to the future. The book is an unapologetic punch in the gut, likely to leave many readers gasping. Scranton does offer a kind of hope: By making tough accommodations and reconnecting with our core humanity, we may eventually be able to recover our collective breath."--Michael Berry, Sierra Magazine

" . . . Scranton’s book is a very well researched investigation into our troubled future. Scranton doesn’t sugar coat his findings, 'We are f*cked' as he so bluntly puts it. And indeed with the rise in global temperatures set to soar in the next fifty years bringing with it melting ice caps, rising seas, a toxic cocktail of carbon dioxide and methane that has remained locked in the permafrost for centuries, no argument can be made against Scranton’s statement."--Stephen Lee Naish, Hong Kong Review of Books


About the Author

A war veteran, journalist, and author, Roy Scranton has published in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, Boston Review, and Theory and Event, and has been interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air, among other media.


Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ City Lights Publishers; First Edition (October 6, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 144 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0872866696
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0872866690
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5 x 0.25 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 526 ratings

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Roy Scranton
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Roy Scranton is the author of several books including LEARNING TO DIE IN THE ANTHROPOCENE (City Lights, 2015), TOTAL MOBILIZATION: WORLD WAR II AND AMERICAN LITERATURE (University of Chicago Press, 2019), and the novel WAR PORN (Soho Press, 2016). He earned an MA from the New School for Social Research and a PhD in English from Princeton University, and has been awarded a Whiting Humanities Fellowship, a Lannan Literary Fellowship, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. His work has appeared widely, from the New York Times to the Baffler, and has been called "fierce and provocative" (Elizabeth Kolbert), "elegant, erudite, heartfelt & wise" (Amitav Ghosh), "forceful and unsettling" (Michiko Kakutani), and "brilliant" (Jeff VanderMeer). His next book, IMPASSE: CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE LIMITS OF PROGRESS, is due out from Stanford University Press in August.

[photo credit Ola Kjelbye]

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
526 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book insightful and thought-provoking, offering new ways of summarizing old ideas. They describe it as a refreshing and intelligent read with clear writing. The author provides dispassionate discussions on climate change that are helpful for climate activists. Many readers appreciate the strong tone and clear presentation of issues. However, opinions differ on the optimism level, with some finding it realistic and hopeful, while others consider it pessimistic.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

32 customers mention "Thought provoking"28 positive4 negative

Customers find the book insightful and thought-provoking. They say it's a sobering read that prompts soul-searching. Readers appreciate the novel thoughts and compelling ways of summarizing old ideas. The book provides relevant facts and an honest and unfiltered critical analysis of our future as human beings. It also offers a thoughtful view of life and death in the anthropocene.

"Mr. Scranton offers one of the clearest, most insightful, and dispassionate discussions on global climate change that I've seen...." Read more

"...book offers some novel thoughts and some new/compelling ways of summarizing old thoughts/history, but don't expect to be blown away...." Read more

"...This is a book of philosophy...." Read more

"...because the author has cleaver ideas, phases and terms including a clever title. Definitely a unique thinker and refreshing to read. "..." Read more

23 customers mention "Readability"23 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-researched and engaging. They describe it as refreshing, thoughtful, and challenging.

"...evidence will not even get past the forthright title of this well-researched book...." Read more

"...It's a good book, though. And the endnotes and bibliography are very useful...." Read more

"...That is the call to action laid out in this short, but brilliant work. Not that we must sit back and do nothing...." Read more

"...Definitely a unique thinker and refreshing to read. "Carbon based capitalism" "Aggressive human monoculture" "..." Read more

14 customers mention "Writing quality"10 positive4 negative

Customers appreciate the writing quality. They find it well-written, easy to read, and concise. Readers praise the author's talent and clear writing style.

"Mr. Scranton offers one of the clearest, most insightful, and dispassionate discussions on global climate change that I've seen...." Read more

"Tough, tough talk from the crystal clear mind of an Iraq War veteran, one who has seen a more or less modern 21st century way of life collapse into..." Read more

"Did not learn anything. Many of the paragraphs jiberish. He tried to make a point by telling of myths like Gilgamesh and failed totally...." Read more

"...It is easy to read and concisely written, but some of the philosophy is derivative and unnecessary for the point at hand, although I agree with much..." Read more

11 customers mention "Eloquence"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and helpful for climate change activists. They appreciate the author's thorough analysis of the issues and connections between them. The chapter on Carbon Politics is praised as one of the best. Readers also mention that the book provides an introduction to ecology and the humanities.

"...offers one of the clearest, most insightful, and dispassionate discussions on global climate change that I've seen...." Read more

"Best chapter is Scrantons review of Carbon Politics...." Read more

"The author dives into several areas of climate change and how they are connected...." Read more

"This book is written strongly and does a good job diagnosing the issues with climate change. However, it is very weak on solutions and moving forward." Read more

3 customers mention "Strength"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's strength. They say it starts with a specific and strong tone, and ends with an ode.

"Tough, tough talk from the crystal clear mind of an Iraq War veteran, one who has seen a more or less modern 21st century way of life collapse into..." Read more

"...It started very specific and strong and ended with an ode to the humanities as the way in which we will survive our ultimate demise...." Read more

"...doom, it looks our present predicament squarely in the eye and pulls no punches...." Read more

13 customers mention "Optimism"6 positive7 negative

Customers have different views on the book's optimism. Some find it hopeful and engaging, offering new ideas. Others find it pessimistic and challenging, with a humorous take on the future. The book ends with optimism, but some readers feel it ends too depressingly.

"A bit too depressing (read: "honest") for most people I would imagine...." Read more

"...If you're into Scranton's question, this book offers some novel thoughts and some new/compelling ways of summarizing old thoughts/history, but don't..." Read more

"...different discourses, and doesn't focus enough on its main, quite pessimistic view, on the coming crisis of fossil-fuel capitalism...." Read more

"...Yet it's the hopeful tone throughout which makes this exceptional...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2017
    Mr. Scranton offers one of the clearest, most insightful, and dispassionate discussions on global climate change that I've seen. He wastes no time on arguing whether humans are the cause; those who choose to deny this truth in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence will not even get past the forthright title of this well-researched book. He instead explores how accelerating earth changes will impact the human species, our societies, cultures, and social orders. While it's probably already too late to alter the course of our planet's destiny, the author's reflections on the very recent rise of homo sapiens, on a geologic time scale, and the lessons from earlier civilizations, may give us the courage and grace to accept and cope with life and death in the future which is to be.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2016
    I definitely recommend it, but before you buy it be sure you're interested in Scranton's core question. That is, what the humanities offer us in this perilous situation? If you're uninterested in that question, find another book.

    If you're into Scranton's question, this book offers some novel thoughts and some new/compelling ways of summarizing old thoughts/history, but don't expect to be blown away. He does a good job formulating his question and using credible sources to describe the scientific and political context. And I think the points he makes about the humanities are salient.

    But I think he says too little about what the humanities can do for us. The type of person most likely to buy a book with "Anthropocene" in the title already knows much of what he says about climate science, policy, and current social ills. You'd think he'd balance that with an equal amount of attention to what he views as the positive/productive promise/power/role of the humanities. Sometimes (like in Chapter Four) he does single out aspects of "the problem" that are seldom addressed and addresses them in fresh ways. But still, he spends more time describing the problem than answering his question, which is underwhelming since it's by answering his question that we can learn to die in the Anthropocene. The answer is there, but he could've done more with it, even in a volume as short as his.

    It's a good book, though. And the endnotes and bibliography are very useful.

    Three last critiques: first, his use of the word "anarchy" early in the book shows he doesn't know what anarchism is. Second, he doesn't address capitalism's role in this mess, a subject better dealt with in Naomi Kline's "This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate" and Jason W. Moore's "Anthropocene or Capitalocene? Nature, History, and the Crisis of Capitalism." Third: the book is disjointed -- it jumps around a bit.
    32 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2016
    Tough, tough talk from the crystal clear mind of an Iraq War veteran, one who has seen a more or less modern 21st century way of life collapse into medieval-sectarian barbarism under the stresses of climate change and war. This is not per se a science book--if you still need proof of what's right in front of your eyes--climate change--check the plentiful endnotes for the scientific studies, several by the (not particularly) "liberal biased" US military. This is a book of philosophy. It ends with a plea to take a deep look inside ourselves--as well as make plans for the few who will survive the collapse of the corrupt system which has destroyed the beautiful garden planet upon which our species has been privileged to evolve. We must somehow bring into our straightened, war-torn future a few of the high ideals which made this civilization--however, briefly--a noble and enlightened one.
    14 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2016
    Unless I missed it, and I may have, he failed to put the number one GOP and other climate denier's argument to rest, which is yes, global warming is happening but man is not causing it, and as the author admits in great detail the earth has gone through many of these severe climate changes before where Man couldn't have been the cause. In fact, I think this book reenforces the climate denier's BS argument. The vast majority of climate deniers, don't deny the warming effect they deny the causal link to Man. Again, I'm not sure the author killed this BS with this book.

    It is easy to read and concisely written, but some of the philosophy is derivative and unnecessary for the point at hand, although I agree with much of the philosophy.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2019
    I no longer care for terminology that calls for “fighting” climate change. It is not climate changing we fight, after all, but rather our own civilization and society. Climate has changed naturally before, and it is changing now, under our influence. If we are to survive, we need to learn the simple truth that we a part of this, and they only way to survive it is to let it-our current civilization-go. Only then can we focus on what comes next, and only the will we see the possibility of ourselves as accepting our fate. We must “die” in order to live. That is the call to action laid out in this short, but brilliant work. Not that we must sit back and do nothing. But that we must accept what we have done, that we will be impacted, perhaps critically so, and that with that knowledge in hand act on our future’s behalf, no longer focusing on the now.

    This book made a huge difference in my growing pessimism and futile look on climate change. Yes, bad things are about to happen. Our civilization is probably already dead.

    But what comes next?
    39 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Frequent Buyer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A good Bus Book
    Reviewed in Canada on April 17, 2023
    Perfect kittle Book for commuter Bus trips
  • Reni
    5.0 out of 5 stars Toll
    Reviewed in Germany on December 5, 2024
    Tolles buch, kann ich nur empfehlen :)
    Report
  • DS322
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Lightbulb Moment of Thinking
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 27, 2016
    A short but sweet discussion about a period of history where human activity affecting the planets equilibrium can be objectively measured. The language used is very welcoming and discussion is organised to make it approachable for those that may not be familiar with the topic.
  • David Cooke
    5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing!
    Reviewed in Australia on November 29, 2016
    Today was a special day in my life because I found and read this book. It is a precious gift of wisdom that I will read and share many times over.
  • Shawn Ladd
    4.0 out of 5 stars Left me wanting more...
    Reviewed in Canada on December 1, 2022
    Lucid and lyrical. Magisterial and wry. I can't come up with a good description. Maybe if a classical epic or Norse saga were a TED talk?