Articles by Robert Jensen
Why I Don’t Rely on Hope
Merion West ·
This essay is adapted from his book An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity, co-authored with Wes Jackson.
Academic Joy
Front Porch Republic ·
A reflection on teaching that I wrote in 2012, one of several “statement of teaching philosophy” essays I had to write over the years for performance reviews. Rather than pontificate on academic freedom, important though it is right now, I want to reflect on academic joy, about what can be so exciting about the life of the mind—even in the modern university.
Feminism and Men: Shut Up and Speak Up
Julie Bindel Substack ·
This is an edited version of a presentation to the Hombres por la Equidad (Men for Equality) conference in Mexico City on November 7, 2023. It draws on material from Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity (South End Press, 2007); The End of Patriarchy: Radical Feminism for Men (Spinifex Press, 2017); and the forthcoming “Dead Dogma”: Thinking Freely, Speaking Responsibly, Living Authentically (Interlink Publishing, 2024).]
Lost in a Sea of Pixels: Men, Pornography, and the Illusion of Control
Public Square Magazine ·
Is pornography sabotaging men’s emotional connections and ability to experience authentic intimacy? These emotional consequences are often overlooked in mainstream discussions.
The Case for Retiring “Confederate Heroes Day”
Merion West ·
The controversy over the public display of Confederate symbols seems to be a permanent part of American politics and culture. As we come to know more about the morally repulsive aspects of our national history—and, more importantly, face those realities—removing symbols of our collective failure in the past is not an attempt to deny our history. Rather, it is a sign of growth, a willingness to face our history. Such work is not mere political correctness or wokeness but a sign of maturity, intellectual and moral. It is nothing more than common decency.
Still Waiting for Freedom: A Review of P. Sainath’s The Last Heroes
Counterpunch ·
A review of P. Sainath’s 2023 book, The Last Heroes: Foot Soldiers of Indian Freedom.
Cancel War Stories
Front Porch Republic ·
A radical analysis of power and a robust defense of freedom of expression is crucial for a radical feminist critique.
Drag Story Hour and Cultural Appropriation
Julie Bindel Substack ·
An analysis of the controversy over Drag Story Hour, from a radical feminist perspective.
Four Hard Questions: Size, Scale, Scope, Speed
The Progressive Magazine ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
Reject the Consumer: Imagining A New Identity Politics
Front Porch Republic ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
Feminism and Prostitution: Beyond ‘The Happy Hooker’
Nordic Model Now! ·
A version of this essay was presented to the “Students for sale: Tools for resistance” conference sponsored by Nordic Model Now!, October 15, 2022, in London. The video is online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk3Xcuds6X0 , from 1:19:30-1:33:50.
No Easy Answers: Facing Ecological Crises Honestly
Merion West ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
Milling around: A philosophy of life for a time of ecological collapse
ABC Religion & Ethics ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
Truths We Can’t Bear Alone: Facing an ‘Inconvenient Apocalypse’
The Revelator ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
Human-Carbon Nature
Counterpunch ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
The Politics of Overconsumption and Getting the Scale Right
Common Dreams ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
Knowledge versus Ignorance: The Limited Scope of Human Competence
LA Progressive ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
The Dual Population Problem: People and Things
Common Dreams ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
We Are One Species
Counterpunch ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
Why Is This Not Enough?
Merion West ·
An excerpt from An Inconvenient Apocalypse: Environmental Collapse, Climate Crisis, and the Fate of Humanity. https://undpress.nd.edu/9780268203665/an-inconvenient-apocalypse/
A portrait of the artist as an old man: Wes Jackson in conversation with Robert Jensen
The Ecological Citizen ·
An edited transcript of Episode 5 of “Podcast from the Prairie.” https://podcastfromtheprairie.com/
Men and feminism: Do your own thing and do the right thing
Good Men Project ·
Offering men arguments from justice and self-interest for embracing feminism.
Earth Day: Enemies and Opportunities
Common Dreams ·
It’s time to talk honestly about “fewer and less”: fewer people consuming less energy and materials.
“Methodism to My Madness”: A “Podcast from the Prairie” Conversation with Wes Jackson
Resilience.org ·
An edited transcript of Episode 4 of “Podcast from the Prairie.” https://podcastfromtheprairie.com/
Take Nobody’s Word for It: A Conversation with Wes Jackson
Los Angeles Review of Books ·
An edited transcript of Episode 3 of “Podcast from the Prairie.” https://podcastfromtheprairie.com/
A Practical Radical Politics
Counterpunch ·
In this essay I want to present a case for a practical radical politics—holding onto radical analyses while making decisions based on our best reading of the threats and opportunities in the moment. This requires consistency in analysis (which is always a good thing) while being wary of dogmatism in strategy (which is almost always a bad thing).
My plan is to articulate the values on which my worldview is based; identify the hierarchical systems within the human family that undermine those values; and describe the history of the ecological break between the human family and the larger living world. From the analytical, I will offer thoughts on coping with the specific political moment of 2022 in the United States and with long-term global ecological realities. I have no grand strategy to propose, but instead will try to face my fears about the tenuous nature of life today politically and the even more tenuous nature of what lies ahead ecologically.
Working for what is possible requires commitment. Recognizing what is not possible requires humility. All of it requires us to embrace the anguish that is inevitable if we face the future without illusions.
Critiquing Transgender Theology: A review of Janice Raymond’s Doublethink
Lesbian and Gay News; Feminist Current ·
My review of Janice Raymond’s book, Doublethink: A Feminist Challenge to Transgenderism.
Intellectual Grounding: A Conversation with Wes Jackson
Front Porch Republic ·
An edited transcript of Episode 1 of “Podcast from the Prairie.” https://podcastfromtheprairie.com/
What Do Men Tell Us about Pornography? What Does Pornography Tell Us about Men?
Dissident Voice ·
A version of this essay was presented to the Engage Conference: Masculinity, Patriarchy, Feminism on November 19, 2021.]
Defining racism: Individuals and institutions, systems and structures
ABC Religion & Ethics ·
The expanded public space for conversation about racial justice in recent years has not always led to greater precision in how we use words. More clarity in definitions of systemic, structural, and institutional racism would help sharpen analysis and guide policy choices. This essay offers one way to make sense of individual versus institutional forms of white supremacy while distinguishing between systemic and structural factors. In addition to critiquing the dominant culture, I also point to failures of analysis on the left. My goal is to go beyond jargon and dogma that fosters in-group solidarity, in the hopes of contributing to a truly intersectional analysis.
Pornography: Doing the Worst to Women, Bringing out the Worst in Men
Countercurrents ·
This is an expanded version of testimony delivered to the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Commercial Sexual Exploitation, November 2, 2021.
Instituting Liberty: Contested, Changing, Conflicted Definitions
Common Dreams ·
Reasonable people can disagree, and a university should be a place where those disagreements are celebrated. That would be a good starting point for a Liberty Institute.
“A Certain Terror”: A White Male Perspective on Being an Ally
Merion West ·
A version of this essay was presented to an online Diversity & Inclusion gathering on August 12, 2021.
Can we learn from history?
Common Dreams; Counterpunch ·
Looking back at dissenters’ reaction to 9-11.
Restless and Relentless Minds: Thinking as a “Species out of Context”
Resilience.org ·
The stability of the Earth’s ecosystems, and hence the future of the human species, depends on people recognizing and responding to multiple, cascading social and ecological crises that can easily overwhelm our imaginations. We need to cultivate restless and relentless minds to deal with unprecedented analytical questions and moral challenges if we are to go beyond the failed approaches of our current politics. This requires a sense of history deeper than we typically see in current debates. Since the advent of agriculture more than 10,000 years ago, humans have been a “species out of context.” That awareness will help us formulate “questions that go beyond the available answers,” which are necessary if we are to fashion effective responses to the crises. In this presentation, Robert Jensen highlights a half-century of work by one of his elders, Wes Jackson of The Land Institute in Kansas (USA), to suggest approaches to analyzing the threats at this moment in history. This lecture draws on Jensen’s 2021 book, The Restless and Relentless Mind of Wes Jackson: Searching for Sustainability (University Press of Kansas) and a forthcoming book co-written with Jackson.
Making sense of sex and gender: A review of Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism
Dissident Voice; Counterpunch ·
A review of Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism by Kathleen Stock.
The Dangers of White Male Supremacy
YES! Magazine ·
This essay is an expanded version of my review of Ijeoma Oluo’s book _Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America_ that appeared in the magazine’s print edition.