Not all in the same boat: identitarian undifferentiation in environmental eschatology

Federica Dalla Costa

doi:10.59391/twyyeb80

Authors

Federica Dalla Costa University of Milan (recent M.A. graduate)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59391/twyyeb80

Keywords:

lifeboat ethics, environmental eschatology, eco-survivalism, Cli-Fi dystopia

Abstract

This essay critically examines the rhetorical references and cultural/aesthetic representations framing the human predicament in the face of environmental catastrophe as an ecumenical craft. Through an analysis of the millenarian discourse encapsulated in the phrase “being in the same boat” in relation to doomsday scenarios, I critique the implicit narrative of a shared humanity that emerges in the distribution of environmental harms and risks. I argue that identity dissolution reinforces social stratifications while co-opting the rhetoric of cooperation. I provide the metaphor of the boat, rather than serving as a symbol of refuge, embodies entrenched social hierarchies, from the environmental normativity inherent in Malthusian lifeboat ethics to various depictions in climate fiction (cli-fi) and eco-fascist rhetoric. As apocalyptic thinking becomes increasingly prominent, I analyze discursive approaches surrounding existential risks, revealing how they reflect a Social Darwinist eco-survivalism that seeks to secure a place in a limited-seating vessel for the privileged.

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