Rethinking us: Civil society, civility, climate change and the great unravelling

Abstract

The question of doubt:

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I spend quite a bit of my time hanging around cafes. I live in a small regional town in the Northern Rivers region of NSW, an 'alternative' place that boasts - if that's the right word - 29 coffee outlets. Mad isn't it?

Even crazier is that a significant chunk of my rapidly diminishing pension - definitely not New Start, but certainly more than those on precarious incomes - goes toward this daily bourgeoise indulgence. But hey, life's too short, right? Maybe it is.

Which brings me to what I do whilst in these watering holes, apart from wondering why on earth I drink coffee as I can't stand the taste. Luckily, I've got a fairly reliable coterie of friends I can rely on for the occasional chinwag. They're invariably smart, well read, thoughtful people who err on the side of caution when it comes to just about anything. Some even talk up the virtues of reason and rationality, like some crusty nineteenth century philosophers. Others are occasional contrarians who nonetheless concede ground when joyful opposition is swept aside by tsunamic evidence. Overall, it all makes for very convivial conversations, even with the part-time contrarians.

Some of these fellow café dwellers seem to have been influenced by the promptings of English metaphysical poet, John Donne, who in his wisdom, urged us to doubt, but to doubt wisely. That's what makes my friends so eminently wise, I suppose - they're apt to weigh things up, and not to leap to conclusions.