Dr. Arthur R. Obst
Writer, climate change scholar, and environmental philosopher. Postdoc @ UChicago. Book review editor for Environmental Ethics and co-organizer of Philosophy in the Wild. Coauthor of Dialogues on Climate Justice (2023). He/him.
arthurrobst.com
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstAuschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder. Auschwitz took time.
- Another publication! Steve Gardiner and I wrote a paper defending his 2018 “Tollgate Principles” (proposed with Augustin Fragnière). In our latest piece, “Beware the Toll Dodgers,” we clarify the point of governance principles and respond to some objections. Check it out: doi.org/10.1007/s105...
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstLast term I tried an experiment: I walked into my Tech and Design Ethics class, admitted that I had *no idea* what to do about ChatGPT - so I would let them figure it out. As in: their first project was to decide and write the ChatGPT policy for the class. Here's what happened:
- I had the pleasure of reviewing Roy Scranton's Impasse for Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. Within, I discuss the concept of civilizational impasse, the possibility of a politics without progress, and the alleged virtues of pessimism. Check it out here: ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/impa...
- I welcome the new year with a new publication in the journal Climatic Change! I ask: What would Aldo Leopold think about Geoengineering? In reply, I contend that from his vantage both success and failure in geoengineering should deeply trouble us. Check it out open access here: rdcu.be/eYFAC
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstSo it’s Biden’s fault that Trump is a fascist? Is it also Biden’s fault that the NYT is becoming a Trump propaganda tool too? Because to me it looks like a choice.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obstthis headline hums with ancient autumnal dread
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstSci-fi has consistently portrayed this being done by angry Asian states but the reality is American corporations helmed by Israeli government scientists are going to be the ones to do this without any oversight or standards Also see: janky tech bros spectrum.ieee.org/solar-geoeng...
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstChicago - no kings
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstDr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstI’m a published academic now. #rewilding #rewild #culturalrewilding #humanrewilding #huntergathererresearch #rewildportland #anthropology
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstDutch late night TV has its take
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obstwhatever historians say about these years of lead they can't say we didn't have a laugh or two
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstMotherfucking wind farms…
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst"Advisory opinions are technically non-binding but are considered authoritative because they summarise existing law...They are expected to be used in future litigation and to bolster political negotiations." After a long campaign spearheaded by Pacific Islanders www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstBREAKING: The Wisconsin Supreme Court's liberal majority strikes down the state’s 176-year-old abortion ban.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstKids this age have a remarkable sense of wonder, which they sadly lose... For instance, he said after his birthday party “Today was the best day ever. I hope I will remember it. I don't remember my previous birthday”... Helen De Cruz (1978-2025) www.whatisitliketobeaphilosopher.com/helen-de-cruz
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstCan't be overstated how fucked up it is that Black folk came up with a word to express people being aware of the oppression of other people and it's now targeted by far right governments globally as something evil that must be destroyed
- *Cop stun guns a protestor* MTG: “This is a peaceful town hall.” [simultaneously] Dystopian.
- A town hall for Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia on Tuesday quickly deteriorated into chaos, as police officers forcibly removed several protesters and subdued two of them with stun guns. Read more: nyti.ms/42MLMZV
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst"I had not touched a cat in 15 yrs when an orange kitten wandered over to sit w/me in the grass one day. I was left without adequate words to describe that experience. It reminded me that I am alive. It instilled in me a raw, unbridled happiness that I had never felt before, not even as a child."
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstAn emotional day - I can announce I'll be the first director of The Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience at the LSE, supported by a £4m grant from the Jeremy Coller Foundation. Our mission: to develop better policies, laws and ways of caring for animals. (1/2) www.lse.ac.uk/News/Latest-...
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstDo not let the world look away. Keep fighting, keep telling our stories—until Palestine is free." - For the last time, Hossam Shabat, from northern Gaza. 23 and he knew to leave a death note.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstDemocratic Senator Chris Murphy on Mahmoud Khalil.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obstnot by any stretch the first person to say this but: it is darkly funny how nakedly imperialist Trump turned out to be given the lengths to which some professional opinion havers went to take his "isolationism" intellectually seriously
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstThis is why the line, "the energy transition is unstoppable because renewables are cheaper than fossils," drives me insane. It sounds smart, like Econ-Speak, but it is wrong. It ignores that politics trumps (ahem) economics, and we're now being ruled by fossil-fuel interests.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstPresident Trump has directed federal agencies to examine ways to bypass endangered species protections and other environmental regulations to ramp up logging across 280 million acres of national forests and other public lands.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstNOAA Cuts Leave Wind Chimes As Sole Predictor Of Approaching Hurricanes
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obsti think the economic boycott has had further reach because the poster is so cute. okay bunny i will listen to you.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstThis is disgusting. Democrats like Hochul are validating the Right’s playbook: dictating the terms of higher education decisions and destroying academia in the process.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst[This post could not be retrieved]
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst“Nearly 30% of the identified species are rare, endemic, or threatened, meaning vital geomorphic processes could cease before their full significance is understood.” 🌱🐋🧪🌎 #STS
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstTrump: I AM A KING! NYT: Trump displays a "fondness for regal themes"
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstKamala was right. And it only took him less than 30 days to roll over for Putin.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstHow much Elon Musk makes from the government a day: $8 million. How much a senior on Social Security gets a day: $65 Guess which budget Musk and Trump want to cut?
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst
- I will be presenting “Revisiting the Wilderness Debate” today during session three of “Rethinking Wild Europe”, starting at 13:45 Central European Time, 7:45 Eastern Standard Time. Zoom link here: univienna.zoom.us/j/7473152282...
- Hey y’all. I’m excited to share that a paper I co-authored went live last week: “Wilderness Values in Rewilding: Transatlantic Perspectives” In short, we map the philosophical heritage of ecological rewilding and defend one view for how it can be decolonized. DM for pdf ✌️ shorturl.at/4TK7b
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obstis trying to avoid those futures no longer on the table
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstI keep warning you that generative "AI" is a threat to the processes of making & certifying knowledge & consensus reality, thus leading us to the verge of an epistemic & heuristic collapse of just catastrophic proportions but y'all keep slathering it on yourselves like it's butter & you're corncobs
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstThe 39th time we've had to post this, and this time about The Onion's original hometown.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstJudith Butler is 100% correct. The word "woke" is pure reactionary bullshit. Its contemporary meaning also distorts history by making it seem as if every positive cultural change of the past 200 years has happened naturally, without agitation by people considered, at the time, dangerously "woke."
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obsthey bluesky, in case anyone's interested, I wrote this for my students about why I don't want them to use anything AI in my classes. It interrupts the course calendar part of the syllabus, coming immediately after the first day there's a writing assignment assigned. docs.google.com/document/d/1...
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst💯 As I tell my students, having AI write your philosophy paper is like sending a robot to the gym for you and expecting to reap the health benefits.
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst'In North Carolina, a Black farmer purchased the plantation where his ancestors were enslaved—and is taking back his family’s story, his community’s health, and the soil beneath his feet.' civileats.com/2024/12/10/b...
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. Obst"Though many politicians believe that halting existing or new fossil fuel production is politically unpopular, there is surprisingly limited data to back this claim...we conducted a nationally representative survey." guess what @cplusc.bsky.social found? climateandcommunity.org/research/vot...
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstIt's rare you get such a clear illustration of whose lives have value in America and whose don't
- Reposted by Dr. Arthur R. ObstFascinating, hopeful case: legally enforceable rights just granted to the Snohomish River watershed in Everett City, Washington State. “Voters in Everett…enshrined the watershed’s rights to exist, regenerate and flourish.” insideclimatenews.org/news/0512202...
- As a belated hello to bluesky, thought i’d post a blue sky from about a month ago. More to come.
