The trouble with ecological invocations of Nature is that they're like calling for a medieval tool, perhaps a portcullis or an arrow slit, to fix a modern problem.
Timothy MortonRead
Pollution is everywhere, in that ancient Greek sense of miasma: guilt experienced as abject body fluid, moral pollution defining what kinds of beings count in social space.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that pollution is a moral and social issue, intertwining environmental degradation with our human experience and social interactions.
Timothy Morton's quote highlights the deep connection between pollution and our understanding of morality and existence. By referencing the ancient Greek concept of miasma, he implies that just as polluted air or liquid can physically harm us, metaphorical pollution can taint our social perceptions and relationships, defining who is considered valuable or worthy within society. This perspective emphasizes that environmental issues are not merely ecological but are deeply intertwined with moral and social dimensions, challenging us to reconsider our connections with the world and with each other.
Themes
PollutionMiasmaMoralitySocialEnvironment
In practice
Example use cases
During an environmental conference, one might use this quote to illustrate the moral implications of pollution.
More from Timothy Morton
All quotes βI grew up in a haunting postindustrial landscape where prehistoric ferns grew among tens of railway tracks surmounted by brilliant arc lights where birds nested and sang in the dead of night, because for them, it was day.
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The ecological crisis we face is so obvious that it becomes easy...to join the dots and see that everything is interconnected. This is the ecological thought. And the more we consider it, the more our world opens up." The ecological thought "...is a vast, sprawling mesh of interconnection without a definite center or edge. It is radical intimacy, coexistence with other beings, sentient and otherwise.
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