This lecture examines another theory about the persistence of controversies in climate politics, despite growing scientific research. We develop a theory, evaluate it, and compare it to other ways of picturing the politics of climate change.

1. 14. Climate Politics as
Paradox
Adam Briggle
UNT Phil 4250 Climate Change
adam.briggle@unt.edu

2. Ackbar racks his
brains…
• Duck…rabbit…either/or…both/and?

3. Outline
• Objectives: to describe and evaluate the theory of climate politics as paradox –
and to compare with the applied science (linear model) theory.
• Paradox
• Building the climate politics as paradox theory
• Paradox in politics
• Examples: not climate related and climate change
• Paradox in environmental politics:
• Plurality in politics: discourses/worldviews
• Plurality in science: excess of objectivity
• The theory as a model: the iron triangle
• Evaluating the theory
• Strengths
• Weaknesses
• Looking ahead to ‘propaganda’ or Merchants of Doubt

4. Paradox
• Not just a statement that is contrary to
common belief, but a statement that seems
self-contradictory but is not illogical or
obviously untrue.
• It is a duck and a rabbit. A and not-A.
• The man who wishes that wishes can’t
come true.
• This is about indeterminacy and plurality
– different ways in which truth/reality
appear or shine forth.

5. Politics as Paradox: Deborah
Stone
• “Political reasoning is reasoning by metaphor and analogy. It is trying
to get others to see a situation as one thing rather than another.”
• Paradox is an essential feature of political life. The “rationality project”
(like the applied science model) is bound to fail.
• We must understand politics as “strategically crafted arguments
designed to create paradoxes and resolve them in a particular
direction.”
• Policymaking is a struggle over ideas and shared meaning – the ideals
and the categories and which things fit in which categories.
• Political concepts are paradoxes – by logic they must be mutually
exclusive, but by political reason they are not.

6. • Democrat cities / American cities
• Structural racism / bad apples
• Guns as defense / guns as danger
• What does “law and order” mean?

7. • Climate change as asteroid
• Drop everything,
emergency powers, re-
invent the world (e.g.,
end capitalism)
• Climate change as diabetes
• Chronic, serious but
manageable problem,
work within existing
structures
incrementally

8. Environmental Politics as Paradox:
Discourses or Worldviews
1. Environmental issues are complex.
2. The more complex a situation the larger the number of
plausible perspectives upon it…harder to prove them
wrong.
3. A discourse is a shared way of apprehending and making
sense of the world. Defines common sense, legitimate
knowledge. It rests on assumptions and judgments.
4. Discourses both enable (gather like-minded) and constrain
(in-group) communication.
5. Discourses are bound up with power – hegemony:
condition the values, beliefs, and perceptions of those
subject to them…the way one worldview becomes the
assumed norm.

9. Shhh… (this is metaphysics). What IS it?
1. Swamps / wetlands
2. Frontier / wilderness
3. Ornamentals / invasive species
4. Whales as resources / sentient creatures
5. Storm victims / climate refugees
6. “Environment” and “climate” as issues…
Contests over meaning are ubiquitous
What fuels some of these disputes?
a. No consensus on what evidence matters, what it means, what counts as proof
b. No consensus on relationship between capitalism and environmentalism, meaning of conservatism,
priority of economic growth, meaning of prosperity, meaning of community, priority of national
interests vs. global…basically no consensus on the good life, the good society, the kind of world
we want to build.

10. Environmental Politics as Paradox:
Excess of Objectivity
• Linear model breaks down, not because science fails to produce
objective facts, but because it does so too well! (Hobbes: seeing
double)
• Everyone marshals science to legitimize their positions and the most
powerful interests win just as they would have without the science.
• “The scientific view of nature is sufficiently rich and diverse to support
a diversity of strongly held and often conflicting political interests and
public values.”
• Geologist, atmospheric chemist, molecular biologist, ecologist…
• We couldn’t even agree on the ballot count in the 2000 election!
• This is a geological or field science view – vs. the physics or lab
view of science built into the linear model.

11. Keep this in mind!
• “The problem is not one of good science versus bad, or "sound" science versus
"junk" science. The problem is that nature can be viewed through many analytical
lenses, and the resulting perspectives do not add up to a single, uniform image, but
a spectrum that can illuminate a range of subjective positions.”
• Not neoliberalism, but nature…
• Daniel Sarewitz

12. The Theory as a Model: The Iron Triangle
Politicians
Advocates Scientists
Excess of
objectivity
Multiple
worldviews
The science
says do A
and not-A!
What does
the science
say?

13. Evaluating the theory: Strengths
Accounts for things the linear model misses or misconstrues – especially the
plurality of sciences.
Offers a more realistic role for science (not predictive certainty as an
irrefutable basis for action but…)
1. Alert us to problems.
2. Associate the science with a range of policy alternatives and
3. Guide action after political consensus is reached
Highlights the importance of explicit values discussions and the dangers of
scientizing politics.

14. Evaluating the theory: Weaknesses
• Beware false equivalency!
• Just because you can see a situation as A and not-A, doesn’t mean that A and not-
A are equally valid or legitimate characterizations.
• What about junk science, special interests, fake news, bad faith and just plain bad
arguments? Motivated reasoning, confirmation bias… An example…

15. Some spin is just too much – lies, half-truths,
distortions, disinformation.
It’s just not all equally legitimate and should
not all be equally ‘fair game’
This is just old-fashioned BS.
Or newfangled BS.

16. “Paradox!?
…This whole time
I thought you were
talking about my
pair of Docs!”
• Ackbar, galactic warrior,
pun machine.