The Limits of Progress: Roy Scranton on Climate, Collapse, and Moral Clarity

More than half of all historical carbon emissions have occurred since 1989—after world leaders knew the risks. So why do we still believe we can innovate our way out of collapse?

In this sobering and deeply philosophical conversation, Roy Scranton—former soldier, literary scholar, and author of Impasse: Climate Change and the Limits of Progress—joins Will to explore why our faith in progress may be our greatest liability. Drawing from his experience in Iraq and his study of civilizational decline, Scranton dismantles the optimistic narratives that shape American culture, from techno-utopianism to climate heroism.

They discuss everything from American exceptionalism and carbon optimism to moral psychology, Jonathan Haidt’s “elephant and rider,” and the ethical case for pessimism. Scranton argues that rather than trying to save the world, we should focus on how to live meaningfully in a collapsing one—with compassion, honesty, and courage.

Whether you’re a climate realist, a techno-optimist, or just anxious about the future, this episode will stretch your mind.

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Guest Bio

Roy Scranton is a writer, scholar, and former U.S. Army soldier whose work explores the philosophical and cultural implications of climate change. He is the author of Learning to Die in the Anthropocene, War Porn, and most recently Impasse: Climate Change and the Limits of Progress. Scranton is a professor of English at the University of Notre Dame, where he teaches literature, environmental humanities, and moral philosophy.

ImpasseClimate Change and the Limits of Progress (Stanford University Press)