Vanessa Machado de Oliveira refers to the dominant way of life today as “modernity”—a system that is, she says, rooted in colonialism, capitalism, individualism, and human separation from nature. By her definition, modernity has cast a kind of spell on us, leading to a condition she calls “relational impairment”—a disconnection that separates us from each other and the rest of the natural world.

This disconnection creates hierarchies between humans and other species. It numbs us to the consequences of our actions and draws us into a state of immaturity and irresponsibility—a condition, she says, “where we refuse to grow up, because growing up is painful.”

This way of life, she argues, is unsustainable and already in decline. But instead of trying to save or reform it, Machado de Oliveira urges us to “hospice” it: to accompany its passing with care, humility, and integrity, while preparing ourselves for the emergence of something new.

Her book Hospicing Modernity is both a philosophical critique and a practical guide. It challenges readers to grow up, step up, and show up—for themselves, their communities, and the living Earth. Rather than drown in despair, she asks: How can we face reality with humility and accountability?

The book questions core assumptions of modernity—such as human exceptionalism, endless progress, and our separation from nature—while offering tools for reflection and transformation. It includes thought experiments, self-inquiry practices, and frameworks to help readers engage with these ideas. Machado de Oliveira invites us to rethink how we learn, unlearn, respond to crisis, and stay present with discomfort and uncertainty. It is this ability to remain with discomfort, she suggests, that makes genuine transformation possible.

"Hospicing is about offering palliative care to something that is dying—in this case, modernity—which means that you’re not investing in its futurity. You’re offering care that allows something to die with dignity, integrity, and compassion. You’re not trying to kill modernity, but you’re not trying to keep it alive either. At the same time, you are offering prenatal care to something that is being born out of this death, that is potentially—but not necessarily—wiser, without suffocating this baby through your own projections, nor assuming that this baby is coming through you either."

VIDEO: Hospicing Modernity: Vanessa Andreotti‍

‍PODCAST:Elena Brower, Episode 199: Vanessa Machado de Oliveira, PhD

‍‍INTERVIEW: Hospicing Modernity: A Conversation‍‍

BOOK: Hospicing Modernity