Climate Change Is Too Big for Our Brains

Provided by: Hot Mess |Published on: April 27, 2021

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Synopsis

This video from Hot Mess provides a philosophical lesson about why the vastness of climate change is difficult for humans to understand.
The video uses Edwin Abbott's Flatland, Timothy Morton's theory of hyperobjects, and Felix Guattari's The Three Ecologies to explain the difficulties in communicating what climate change is, how it is caused, and what it will take to stop it.

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Subjects: Earth and Space Sciences, English Language Arts

Authors: Hot Mess

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This video presents a philosophical reason why some people are unable to grasp the concept of climate change.
The visuals in the video help to illustrate some of the more obtuse concepts.

Prerequisites

Students will need to have some understanding of philosophy as a field of study.
The video is very fast-paced, so students will benefit from pausing in order to discuss each concept before moving on to the next concept.
Students will need to be familiar with terms such as satirical, apostle, viscous, interobjective, phase space, grokking, and transversally.

Differentiation & Implementation

This video provides many opportunities for cross-curricular discussions because the video encompasses topics of geometry, physics, philosophy, biology, ethics, and literature.
Advanced students can read Flatland, Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World, or The Three Ecologies.
This short film from the Global Oneness Project offers a completely different explanation for why people cannot grasp the vastness of climate change and can be interesting to compare with this resource.
Students can use this lesson to begin having conversations with those who struggle to comprehend the hyperobjectivity of climate change.

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Scientist Reviewed

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Climate Change Is Too Big for Our Brains

Synopsis

Teaching Materials

Scientist Reviewed

Related Teaching Resources