The World, the Universe and Us Rebecca Solnit On Why the Future Isn’t as Dark as It Looks
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Mar 21, 2026 
Rebecca Solnit, writer and activist known for books on feminism and environmental change, discusses resurfacing indigenous stories and shifting Western narratives. She explores science showing human-nature interconnectedness, climate politics and public will, technology’s mixed effects, and how incremental victories in rights and conservation add up to a quiet revolution.
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Old Stories Resurfacing As New Worldviews
- Many “new” environmental and relational stories are actually ancient indigenous and Buddhist worldviews resurfacing in Western thought.
- Rebecca Solnit highlights Native American land-rights resurgence and science aligning with interconnection as evidence of this synthesis.
Symbiosis As A Foundation Of Complex Life
- Symbiosis, not just competition, explains the origin and persistence of complex life according to Lynn Margulis's work.
- Solnit cites Margulis to show biology and ecology emphasize collaboration (e.g., eukaryotic cells formed by merging organisms).
Ideology Of Isolation Blocks Climate Action
- Public support for climate action is broad, but fossil-fuel interests and ideological denial block progress.
- Solnit argues the ideology of isolation (Thatcherism, Trumpism) rejects systemic causation and thus resists climate remedies.
