“Many people can only believe in humanity as Robert Heinlein did for so long, and eventually must either cling with Joe Klein to ‘the perfectibility of human nature,’ or give up altogether. (The same process can be seen among progressives when it comes to patriotism. Faced with an unlovable country, they either turn to loving it for its potential/perfectibility, or they give up trying.) Those who give up on humanism are finding something more transcendent waiting to take over the role of prime valuer: the environment. And with the advent of the Carbon Footprint, environmentalism stands ready to not only structure every aspect of your life (as religion is said to do), but to give meaning and importance to things that never mattered before (like what you eat for breakfast). Every decision takes on a life-or-death importance. Even your choice of windows or lightbulbs becomes a way for you to ’save the environment.’” (05/08/08)