Due to its unfamiliarity among many readers, a thorough examination of the word “acedia” is given before the narrative moves on to the author’s thoughts on the connection between it and the world’s negligent response to climate change. In line with traditional academic papers, his major premise is stated early in the book: “I will [suggest] that acedia is the most important concern of our current civilization, and, unless we find ways to resolve our individual and cultural acedia, we may not survive as a species.”

Acedia isn’t commonly heard in contemporary discussions of climate change because it’s a word derived from a Greek term that encompasses “absence of care” and was used descriptively in the monastic tradition of the fourth century AD. MacQuarrie reviews the varied definitions of acedia as used historically by scholars, ranging through synonyms such as boredom, despair, disgust, grief, rage, resignation, and self-pity, among others that he thinks are only able to convey the deeper meaning of the word collectively rather than singly. In the author’s career as a therapist, he has connected acedia to a modern sense of laziness and fearfulness that may also contain self-righteousness. In his estimation, it “is an attitudinal choice made… toward life.” This suggests that our modern inability to confront and correct human-caused climate change is a result of willful neglect caused, in part, by cultural trauma.

While interesting to those concerned with climate change, the author's narrative will also appeal to those who value a deep dive into word studies and are intrigued by a concept that has re-emerged as a topic of concern within various spiritual communities in the past few decades. MacQuarrie thoroughly explores the use of acedia throughout history, skillfully connecting many academic disciplines to reach his fascinating conclusions. A robust bibliography and appendices round out this thought-provoking narrative.

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