We Need Radical Hope, Not Radical Acceptance

Words matter

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot about radical acceptance and how it is the right way to think about climate change and other aspects of our polycrisis. My initial reaction was visceral: NO! Radical acceptance will doom us to inaction! It elevates passivity and devalues the many steps we need to take to mitigate the damage we have inflicted on the planet, our fellow humans, and most other species.

But when I’ve suggested this to some of my favorite writers, who have been tossing the term around recently, I’ve…