Best of the Spectator Book Club: Robert Macfarlane
May 28, 2025
Robert Macfarlane, an acclaimed writer known for exploring landscapes and the human experience, discusses his latest book, 'Is A River Alive?'. He shares insights from his travels through diverse environments, emphasizing the urgent need to reevaluate our connection to nature. The dialogue touches on revolutionary ideas surrounding legal rights for rivers and the environmental impacts of gold extraction. Macfarlane also delves into mystical encounters in cloud forests and how literature shapes our comprehension of the natural world.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Questioning River's Life and Rights
- The question "Is a river alive?" arises from deep intellectual curiosity intertwined with ecological concern.
- Rivers are explored as entities with life and rights, challenging conventional views on nature.
Rivers and Legal Rights Contrasted
- Rivers often lack rights despite their vital ecological and cultural roles, unlike corporations which have non-human legal rights.
- Early legal pioneers imagined rights for nature, sparking a global movement for environmental justice.
River Journeys Shape the Book
- Macfarlane traveled to Ecuador, Chennai, and Quebec to explore rivers under threat and efforts to reimagine their vitality.
- He also visited a fragile local chalk stream near his home, highlighting intimate connections to water.
