William Ophuls


William Ophuls, the pen name of Patrick Ophuls, is an American political scientist, ecologist, independent scholar and author. He is known for his pioneering role in the modern environmental movement. His work focuses on some of the ecological, social, and political implications of modern industrial civilization.

Biography

Born in 1934, Ophuls obtained his AB in Oriental Studies from Princeton University in 1955. Eighteen years later, in 1973, he obtained his Ph.D in Political Science from Yale University.
After his graduation from Princeton, Ophuls served in the U.S. Coast Guard as officer for four years. After his discharge from the military, he served for the next eight years in the United States Foreign Service at embassies in the Ivory Coast and Japan. After his graduation from Yale in 1973, he lectured at Northwestern University and Oberlin University for a short period. Afterwards, he settled in as an independent scholar and author.
Ophuls was awarded the Sprout Prize from the International Studies Association for his 1977 book Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, in 1992, the latter work was published in a revised edition. This work received the Kammerer Award from the American Political Science Association.

Work

Role in modern environmental movement

Ophuls played some part in the emergence of the modern environmental movement. The precursor of this movement in the United States was the early 20th century conservation movement, associated with President Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot. This was the period in which U.S. Forest Service was formed, and that public concern for consumer protection began, epitomized by the publication of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair.
The origins of the modern environmental movement took place in the United States with the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, which pointed out the perils of pesticide use and rallied concern for the environment in general. Carson argued that nature deserved human protection and referred to pesticides as the atomic bomb for insects. She stated that these pesticides would cycle through the environment hurting humans and nature and thought they should be used wisely. Carson's work played a big role in environment activism that was later to come.
Along with critiques of the misuse of technology from figures such as William Ophuls, Barry Commoner, and Garrett Hardin, the ineffectiveness and criticism of the 1960s Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act, gave a burgeoning momentum to the environmental movement.

''Leviathan or oblivion?'', 1973

With the essay, entitled "Leviathan or oblivion?," Ophuls contributed to the influential 1973 anthology Toward a Steady-state Economy, edited by Herman Daly. Other writers and topics in the 1973 edition included:
In his contribution, "Leviathan or oblivion?", Ophuls wrote on the political and economical implications of environmental problems. His main argument was that "because of the tragedy of the commons, environmental problems cannot be solved through cooperation... and the rationale for government with major coercive powers is overwhelming." According to Ophuls "reforming a corrupt people is an herculean task," which only leaves us with the choice of Leviathan or oblivion.
Eckersley argued that

Democratic challenges to address environmental problems

In the 1970s, Ophuls commented on the role of liberal democracies in addressing environmental problems. The relation between politics and the environment is complex. Climate change is slow, relative to political cycles of leadership in electoral democracies, which impedes responses by politicians who are elected and re-elected on much shorter timescales.
Effectively responding to global warming necessitates some form of international environmental governance to achieve shared targets related to energy consumption and environmental usage. Climate change complicates political ideology and practice, affecting conceptions of responsibility for future societies as well as economic systems. Material inequality between nations make technological solutions insufficient for climate change mitigation. Rather, political solutions can navigate the particularities of various facets of environmental crisis. Climate change mitigation strategies can be at odds with democratic priorities of prosperity, progress, and state sovereignty, and instead underscore a collective relationship with the environment.
The international political community is presently based on liberal principles that prioritize individual freedoms and capitalist systems that make quick and ambitious climate responses difficult. Interest-group liberalism is guided by individual human priorities. Groups unable to voice their self-interest, such as minorities without suffrage, or non-humans, are not included in the political compromise. Addressing environmental crises can be impeded when citizens of liberal democracies do not see environmental problems as impacting their lives, or when they lack the education to evaluate the importance of the problem. The human benefits from environmental exploitation and protection compete. Considering the implications of ecological degradation for future human generations can give environmental concerns a basis in anthropocentric liberal democratic politics.
Ophuls posits that liberal democracies are unfit to address environmental problems, and that the prioritization of these challenges would involve a transition to more authoritarian forms of government. Others counter this by pointing to the past successes of environmental reform movements to improve water and air quality in liberal societies. In practice, environmentalism can improve democracy rather than necessitate its end, by expanding democratic participation and promoting political innovations.

''Ecology and the politics of scarcity,'' 1977

In the preface of his 1977 book Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, Ophuls declared the intention of his work:
Furthermore Ophuls argued, that
Ophuls is skeptical about the ability to anticipate a sustainable society, or steady state society. He claimed:
Ophuls concludes that premature specificity of the steady-state society and its required institutions can be counterproductive:

''Plato's Revenge: Politics in the Age of Ecology,'' 2011

In his 2011 book Plato's Revenge: Politics in the Age of Ecology, Ophuls start with the premise that "sustainability is impossible". He argues that "we are on an industrial Titanic, fueled by rapidly depleting stocks of fossil hydrocarbons.... we are headed for a postindustrial future that, however technologically sophisticated, will resemble the pre-industrial past in many important respects."
In the end, the work is a plea for "an essentially Platonic politics of consciousness dedicated to inner cultivation rather than outward expansion and the pursuit of perpetual growth. We would then achieve a way of life that is materially and institutionally simple but culturally and spiritually rich, one in which humanity flourishes in harmony with nature."

Reception

In response to the 2011 publication of Plato's Revenge, Thomas Homer-Dixon wrote the following endorsement:
In the same source, Robert Paehlke described Ophuls' work as attempt "to rethink how present and future societies might be organized given the array of environmental and sustainability challenges that we face."

Selected publications