DOCSLIB.ORG

Deep Ecology: Should We Embrace This Philosophy?

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Deep Ecology: Should We Embrace This Philosophy? DEEP ECOLOGY: SHOULD WE EMBRACE THIS PHILOSOPHY? By Gert Petrus Benjamin Louw Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Philosophy University of South Africa Supervisor: Professor M.E.S. van den Berg March 2016 © University of South Africa 2016. SUMMARY The planet is in a dismal environmental state. This state may be remedied by way of an integrated approach based on a holistic vision. This research examines which ecological ideology best suits current conditions for humans to re-examine their metaphysical understanding of nature; how we can better motivate people to embrace a more intrinsic ecological ideology; and finally, how we can motivate people to be active participants in their chosen ideology. I will attempt to show that Deep Ecology is the most suitable ecosophy (ecological philosophy) to embrace; in doing so I will look at how Oriental and occidental religion and philosophy altered (and continues to alter) the way we perceive nature. I will show how destructive, but also caring and constructive, humanity can be when interacting with the environment. The Deep Ecological and Shallow Ecological principles will be look at, as well as criticism and counter-criticism of these ecosophies. KEY TERMS : Deep Ecology, Shallow Ecology, anthropocentrism, ecocentrism, extrinsic values, intrinsic values, motivational drive, ecosophy © University of South Africa 2016. DECLARATION I declare that ‘DEEP ECOLOGY: SHOULD WE EMBRACE THIS PHILOSOPHY?’ is my own work, and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete references. I further declare that I have not previously submitted this work, or part of it, for examination at this or any other higher education institution. SIGNED: 000000___000000000 21 March 2016 G.P.B. LOUW DATE i © University of South Africa 2016. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 01 CHAPTER 2 – RELIGIOUS AND PHILOSOPHICAL FORMATION OF COGNITIVE PROCESSES 2.1 INTRODUCTION 10 2.2 HOW RELIGION SHAPES OUR THINKING 15 2.2.1 Occidental religion – Christianity 17 2.2.2 Mid-Eastern religion – Judaism and Islam 29 2.2.3 Eastern religions – Taoism and Buddhism 36 2.2.4 A new religious thinking? 42 2.3 HOW PHILOSOPHY SHAPES OUR THINKING 45 2.3.1 Eastern and Western philosophical thinking 46 2.3.2 Dichotomisation 50 2.3.3 The anthropocentric nature of Western philosophy 53 2.4 SUMMARY 58 CHAPTER 3 – HUMANITY’S FAILURES AND SUCCESSES WITH REGARD TO ENVIRONMENTAL PRESERVATION 3.1. INTRODUCTION 60 3.2. HUMANITY’S FAILURES AND SUCCESSES 62 3.2.1 Population 63 3.2.1.1 Europe 66 3.2.1.2 Asia (Near-East, Far-East) 68 3.2.1.3 Oceania 74 3.2.1.4 Africa 75 3.2.1.5 North and South America (Americas) 78 3.2.2 Water 80 ii © University of South Africa 2016. 3.2.3 Climate change 81 3.2.4 Loss of biodiversity 82 3.2.5 Deforestation and desertification 83 3.2.6 Ocean acidification 85 3.2.7 Depletion of marine resources 86 3.2.8 The phosphorus and nitrogen cycles 86 3.2.9 Ozone layer depletion 87 3.2.10 Fracking 89 3.3. SUCCESSES AND OTHER ISSUES 91 3.4. SUMMARY 93 CHAPTER 4 – DEEP ECOLOGY VERSUS SHALLOW ECOLOGY 4.1 INTRODUCTION 95 4.2 ORIGIN AND TENETS OF DEEP ECOLOGY 96 4.3 SHALLOW ECOLOGY 107 4.4 CRITICISM 110 4.4.1 Ecofeminist critique 113 4.4.2 Social ecological critique 114 4.4.3 Anti-human critique 116 4.4.4 Biocentric egalitarianism and the self 118 4.4.5 Normative status 122 4.4.6 Mysticism and anti-rationality 123 4.4.7 Vegetarian critique 123 4.5 SUMMARY 126 CHAPTER 5 – THE MOTIVATIONAL FORCE DRIVING PEOPLE TO ACT ECOCENTRICALLY 5.1 INTRODUCTION 129 5.2 MOTIVATION: ITS ESSENCE AND ITS THEORIES 133 iii © University of South Africa 2016. 5.3 MOTIVATIONAL INITIATIVES 161 5.4 SUMMARY 169 CHAPTER 6 – CONCLUSION 176 BIBLIOGRAPHY 192 iv © University of South Africa 2016. Abstract The planet finds itself in a dismal state, arguably brought about by the environmental misconduct from the side of humanity over the course of centuries. An ancient tradition of Indo-Tibetan Buddhism depicts human beings’ suffering as exemplifying hungry ghosts trapped in a state of incessant greed and insatiability, which at its core reflects a desperate attempt to maintain a sense of self that is out of accord with basic reality (Pope 2011:171). How can we address and remedy this dualistic problem with regard to the state of the environment and the way in which human beings conduct themselves? The state of crisis in which both humans and the environment find themselves need not continue. Recuperation for both is possible, if only we will alter our way of thinking and provide a chance for the ecosystems to heal. There is a significant obstacle regarding an effective way to bring about this recuperative process. In this regard Conradie and Field (2002:3) say that if we want to have a healthy and sustainable environment, in which the intimate connections between all concerns are emphasised, then we will need an integrated approach based on a holistic vision regarding environmental awareness. They are of the opinion that such a vision can be fashioned through the perceptions we have about our external world (both animate and inanimate phenomena), and that we can respond to the environmental and intrapersonal challenges facing us by adopting such a holistic approach. The question to be considered is whether this holistic approach is the only approach to be adopted in such a scenario? I will argue throughout my research that such an approach is a favourable one for the purpose of addressing the planet’s environmental predicament. I will also argue that dualism is a less favourable path to follow to the extent that it contributes greatly to the environmental problem at hand. I will however concede that a holistic approach may create dialectical thinking between concepts such as Eastern and Western, anthropocentric and ecocentric, religious and non-religious, as well as intrinsic and extrinsic thinking. I do however want to make it clear that I am not disregarding one position in favour of another because I acknowledge that there are instances where the lesser favourable concept (under certain circumstances within a certain geographical area, for example) may be conceived to be actually the favourable one (under the same v © University of South Africa 2016. circumstance within a different geographical location). In other words, when I evaluate opposites I am trying to conserve the integrity of the opposite rather than to create a convenient reduction thereof. According to Okita (2009) it is vital to examine the metaphysical understanding of nature because the way we deal with nature is significantly influenced by our perceptions of nature (ecological ideologies). The way many people currently perceive nature, which is reflected by their practices, will patently not suffice. Presently there are many ecological ideologies from which individuals may choose when they embark on a path of re-examining their metaphysical understanding of nature. This leads to an important threefold question around which this research is constructed: Which ecological ideology best suits current conditions? Then, how can we better motivate people to embrace the correct ideology? And finally, how can we motivate them to be active participants in their chosen ideology? I will attempt to show that there is indeed one such ecological ideology which I hope everyone will embrace. This philosophy is known as Deep Ecology (DE), and as will be shown in a later chapter, DE embodies the psychologising of an egalitarian and holistic environmental philosophy founded on a phenomenological methodology. But this is not the only methodology on which such an environmental philosophy can be founded. In a subsequent chapter, I will point out that Kretz (2009:116-117) argues convincingly that there are multiple methodological reasons, such as the following, on which a re-conceptualisation of the ecological self (in favour of a holistic environmental philosophy) may take place: . Thinking about the nature of ecological relations allows for a moral landscape. Such a moral landscape may addresses the ecological dimensions of what it is to be human and may serve to shows how the failure of many humans to understand themselves ecologically has contributed directly to the current ecological crisis. Thinking about the ecological self has pragmatic benefits because it situates humans in a way that facilitates our survival and the survival of other organisms. And lastly, the ecological crisis requires new ways of motivating beneficial ecological action. vi © University of South Africa 2016. I will substantiate my choice of ecosophy (ecological philosophy) by following a rhetorical path, during which I will show why it is essential to embrace this philosophy. My path will commence from the point where I will look at how religion and philosophy, from both Oriental and occidental perspectives, have altered (and continues to alter) the way we perceive nature, whether in a constructive or destructive fashion. I will then show how destructive, but also caring and constructive, humanity can be when it comes to how we interact with the environment. This will culminate in an overview of the principles of Deep Ecology, contrasting it with what is known as a Shallow Ecology. I will also entertain the criticism and counter-criticism of Deep Ecology. Before concluding this research, I will touch on how we may motivate otherwise inactive individuals to become more pro-active in embracing an ecosophy such as Deep Ecology as being a viable eco-philosophy. These are important aspects to explore if we want to create a platform on which humanity can start to peruse the aim of restoring our planetary imbalance.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Beyond Stewardship: Toward an Agapeic Environmental Ethic
    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (1934 -) Projects Beyond Stewardship: Toward an Agapeic Environmental Ethic Christopher J. Vena Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Ethics in Religion Commons, Philosophy Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Vena, Christopher J., "Beyond Stewardship: Toward an Agapeic Environmental Ethic" (2009). Dissertations (1934 -). 16. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/16 BEYOND STEWARDSHIP: TOWARD AN AGAPEIC ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC by Christopher J. Vena, B.A., M.A. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin December 2009 ABSTRACT BEYOND STEWARDSHIP: TOWARD AN AGAPEIC ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC Christopher J. Vena, B.A., M.A. Marquette University, 2009 One of the unfortunate implications of industrialization and the rapid expansion of global commerce is the magnification of the impact that humans have on their environment. Exponential population growth, along with growing technological capabilities, has allowed human societies to alter their terrain in unprecedented and destructive ways. The cumulative effect has been significant to the point that the blame for widespread environmental degradation must be pinned squarely on human shoulders. Because of our dependence on these systems for survival, the threat to the environment is a threat to human life. The root of the ecological crisis is found in human attitudes and behaviors. In the late 1960’s it was suggested that Christianity was a key source of the problem because it promoted the idea of human “dominion” over creation.
    [Show full text]
  • God, Nature, and Politics in Olivier Messiaen's <I>Des Canyons Aux Étoiles
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Masters Theses Graduate School 8-2014 Sonic Environmentalism: God, Nature, and Politics in Olivier Messiaen's Des canyons aux étoiles . Ryan James Taussig University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes Part of the Musicology Commons Recommended Citation Taussig, Ryan James, "Sonic Environmentalism: God, Nature, and Politics in Olivier Messiaen's Des canyons aux étoiles . .. " Master's Thesis, University of Tennessee, 2014. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/2853 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a thesis written by Ryan James Taussig entitled "Sonic Environmentalism: God, Nature, and Politics in Olivier Messiaen's Des canyons aux étoiles . .." I have examined the final electronic copy of this thesis for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Master of Music, with a major in Music. Rachel M. Golden, Major Professor We have read this thesis and recommend its acceptance: Leslie C. Gay, Jacqueline A. Avila Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) ! Sonic Environmentalism:! God, Nature, and Politics in Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles .
    [Show full text]
  • Squatting My Mind – Towards an Architectural Ecosophy
    163 ISSN: 1755-068 www.field-journal.org vol.4 (1) Squatting My Mind – Towards an Architectural Ecosophy Catharina Gabrielsson Understanding ecology as “a widely-drawn category that encompasses objects and ideas, organic species and their habitats, inseparably linked 1 Andrew Ballantyne, Architecture together”,1 ecology clearly involves architecture on countless levels, by far Theory: a Reader in Philosophy and Culture (London, New York: exceeding the parameters of sustainable building technology that dominate Continuum, 2005) p. 36. conceptions of this field. Primarily addressing the ‘mental ecology’ of architecture – that is, how architecture is thought and constructed within the discipline – this article furthers an understanding of how occupancy has the power to undo central architectural concepts. Such an undoing is seen as a prerequisite for what Félix Guattari has denoted ecosophy – the ethico-political articulation between the three, interconnected ecological registers: that of the environment, of social relations and the realm of ideas. Considered within an ecological intellectual framework, notions of resistance, spatial appropriation and indeterminacy in architecture are seen to evolve as steps along the way in the urgent task of re-writing architecture’s ontology. It points towards an architecture of shifts and additions, of re-uses and re-inventions; an architecture that generously permits a variety of uses and a continuous production of meaning. 164 www.field-journal.org vol.4 (1) Fig 1. Squatters make the headlines. Catharina Gabrielsson. Shortly after the financial crisis struck London in the autumn of 2008, newspapers were flooded with reports on how a group of artists had invaded an empty eighteenth century property in Mayfair and had opened it to the public as a “non-hierarchical centre for knowledge and learning”, called ‘Temporary School of Thought.’ During a few winter months, in a neighbourhood dominated by embassies and offices, the house at No.
    [Show full text]
  • The Weaving Wold of Deep Ecology and Textile Design
    The Weaving Wold of Deep Ecology and Textile Design: Locating Principles of Sustainability at Austvatn Craft Central Malin Kristine Graesse Thesis offered for the degree of Master in History of Art Department of Philosophy, Classics, History of Art and Ideas Faculty of Humanities Supervisor: Professor Kjetil Fallan University of Oslo Spring 2017 II The Weaving World of Deep Ecology and Textile Design Locating Principles of Sustainability at Austvatn Craft Central III © Malin Kristine Graesse 2017 The Weaving World of Deep Ecology and Textile Design: Locating Principles of Sustainability at Austvatn Craft Central Malin Kristine Graesse http://www.duo.uio.no/ Print: Print-Shop. Oslo. IV Abstract In 1970, a social scientific research project, mapping the socio-political conditions of Nord- Odal municipality, put into effect their vision of a craft central that would offer employment, solidarity and community self-reliance. The project was named Austvatn Craft Central. With Austvatn Craft Central, traditions of home craft as supplementary income and potential for social betterment, was revitalized. This thesis seeks to locate principles of sustainability within the ideology and practise of Austvatn Craft Central, analysing the enterprise in light of the philosophy of Arne Næss and the ideas of William Morris. What seems to unite the philosophical assessment of Næss, the poetics of William Morris and the practical design endeavours of Austvatn Craft Central, is a deep-founded respect for nature. These principles might not have been explicitly articulated at Austvatn Craft Central, as they were by Morris and Næss—but the focus on local production, natural raw materials, respect for the local community, and the pursuit of re-orienting craft towards social responsibility, testifies to an understanding of interconnectedness and co-dependence—key concepts in both Morris and Næss.
    [Show full text]
  • Addressing the Mammoth in the Room: the Ethical and Political Implications of De- Extinction
    Addressing the Mammoth in the room: The ethical and political implications of de- extinction (Ashlock, 2013) Lowieke Vermeulen (S4374452) Political Science: Political Theory Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands Supervisor: prof. dr. Marcel Wissenburg Date: August 12, 2019 Word count: 23590 1 Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction...............................................................................................................3 1.2 Thesis structure............................................................................................................................6 Chapter 2: De-extinction and species selection..........................................................8 2.1 Extinction........................................................................................................................................9 2.2 Approaches to de-extinction.................................................................................................10 2.2.1 Back-breeding.........................................................................................................................10 2.2.2 Cloning.......................................................................................................................................12 2.2.3 Genetic engineering..............................................................................................................12 2.2.4 Mixed approaches..................................................................................................................13 2.3
    [Show full text]
  • Kortetmaki Is Broad the New Deep in Environmental Ethics.Pdf
    This is an electronic reprint of the original article. This reprint may differ from the original in pagination and typographic detail. Author(s): Kortetmäki, Teea Title: Is Broad the New Deep in Environmental Ethics? A Comparison of Broad Ecological Justice and Deep Ecology Year: 2016 Version: Please cite the original version: Kortetmäki, T. (2016). Is Broad the New Deep in Environmental Ethics? A Comparison of Broad Ecological Justice and Deep Ecology. Ethics and the environment, 21(1), 89- 108. https://doi.org/10.2979/ethicsenviro.21.1.04 All material supplied via JYX is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights, and duplication or sale of all or part of any of the repository collections is not permitted, except that material may be duplicated by you for your research use or educational purposes in electronic or print form. You must obtain permission for any other use. Electronic or print copies may not be offered, whether for sale or otherwise to anyone who is not an authorised user. 1 Biographical info Teea Kortetmäki is a Ph.D. student at the University of Jyväskylä. She received her master's degree in philosophy from the University of Jyväskylä in 2011. Her research interests include environmental ethics, food ethics, and the capabilities approach. Contact info Address (work): PO Box 35, 40014 University of Jyvaskyla, Finland Address (home): Kivirinnanpolku 3, 40950 Muurame, Finland Phone (both): +358 41 5486483 e-mail: [email protected] affiliation: University of Jyvaskyla Please send the contributor’s copies to the home address. Acknowledgments I would like to thank Mikko Yrjönsuuri, Markku Oksanen and Arto Laitinen for helpful comments.
    [Show full text]
  • The Beautiful Warriors
    12 2018 The Beautiful Warriors Technofeminist Praxis in the Twenty-First Century Cornelia Sollfrank Translated by Valentine A. Pakis We do have to practice war. We do have to be for some worlds and not others. We are against some ways of doing the world. […] It is really important to be in revolt. So, [being] for some ways of life and not others is a kind of war of the worlds, but it’s a war of the worlds as a part of a proposition of peace – of a risky proposition. […] There is little time to make a difference […] and we have a while to see if peace is possible. Donna Haraway There’s no need to fear or hope, but only to look for new weapons. Gilles Deleuze Men and things exchange properties and replace one another; this is what gives technological projects their full savor. Bruno Latour The new planetary consciousness will have to rethink machinism. Félix Guattari Pick up again the long struggle against lofty and privileged abstraction. Perhaps this is the core of revolutionary process. Adrienne Rich What relation do technology and gender have with one another? How are they mutually produced in ever new configurations? Can they even be thought of as two separate categories? And is it not necessary to bring a series of additional agents into play in order to provide a more complete picture? This volume brings together a selection of current technofeminist positions from the fields of art and activism. Since the cyberfeminism of the 1990s, new ways of thinking and acting have proliferated, often as a reaction to new forms and dimensions of exploitation and discrimination.
    [Show full text]
  • Radical Environmentalism and Religion
    W&M ScholarWorks Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 1996 Radical Environmentalism and Religion Evelyn Louise Bush College of William & Mary - Arts & Sciences Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/etd Part of the Environmental Policy Commons, Environmental Sciences Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Bush, Evelyn Louise, "Radical Environmentalism and Religion" (1996). Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects. Paper 1539626083. https://dx.doi.org/doi:10.21220/s2-nqvx-fb44 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. RADICAL ENVIRONMENTALISM AND RELIGION A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Sociology The College of William and Mary in Virgina In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Evelyn L. Bush , 1996 APPROVAL SHEET thesis is submitted in partial fulfillment the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts aVelyn L. Bush Approved, June 1996 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv ABSTRACT v INTRODUCTION 2 CHAPTER I. RELIGION AND ENVIRONMENTALISM: A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 7 CHAPTER II. THE LYNN WHITE THESIS 33 CHAPTER III. LITERATURE REVIEW: PART ONE 46 CHAPTER IV. LITERATURE REVIEW: PART TWO 60 CHAPTER V. DEEP ECOLOGY 70 CHAPTER VI. SOCIAL ECOLOGY 87 CHAPTER VII. TWO REFORMIST MOVEMENTS 114 CONCLUSION 13 8 APPENDIX 147 NOTES 148 BIBLIOGRAPHY 150 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express appreciation to Professor Edwin H.
    [Show full text]
  • Techno-Science, Integral Thought, and the Reality of Limits in Laudato Si’ Lisa H
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by The Trumpeter - Journal of Ecosophy (Athabasca University) The Trumpeter ISSN 0832-6193 Volume 34, No. 1 (2018) Techno-Science, Integral Thought, and the Reality of Limits in Laudato Si’ Lisa H. Sideris Introduction In his ecological encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis characterizes his task as getting “to the roots of the present situation, so as to consider not only its symptoms but also its deepest causes”1 (§15). Francis articulates and defends an “adequate anthropology” and a proper vision of “reality” that effectively grounds - as well as limits - all human endeavors. In particular, his quest to locate the root causes of our present environmental and social crises engages him in a critique of a totalizing “technocratic paradigm” that stands in opposition to what Francis considers genuine reality in all its complexity and tangibility. The false reality of the technocratic paradigm encourages delusional forms of anthropocentrism and instrumentalization of others. It obscures the rights and needs of human and nonhuman others whom Francis repeatedly refers to as “the excluded.” Francis’s call to resist the homogenizing and totalizing impulse of both globalization and what I will call “techno-science” brings into sharper focus the plight of these excluded human and nonhuman others. In short, Laudato Si’ calls for a shift in perspective from false to genuine reality, a move that enables us to see all relationships as moral relationships, and ourselves as finite beings. But what is this reality to which Francis alludes so frequently, and how do humans access it? For the most part, Francis’s argument for the need to orient ourselves to reality is issued in an indirect fashion, but it is clear that reality stands in opposition to reductive, fragmented, highly specialized, and ideological distortions of the world around us.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecomodernist Mania As Case for Unmanning Anthropocene Discourse Philip Douglas Kupferschmidt
    Document généré le 2 oct. 2021 12:43 The Trumpeter Journal of Ecosophy The Bipolarity of Modern ‘Man’ in the Anthropocene: Ecomodernist Mania as Case for Unmanning Anthropocene Discourse Philip Douglas Kupferschmidt Radical Ecologies in the Anthropocene Résumé de l'article Volume 32, numéro 2, 2016 This paper examines Shellenberger and Nordhaus’ “Evolve: The Case for Modernization as the Road to Salvation” from the perspective of URI : https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1042988ar psychopathology. ”Evolve” articulates an all too common denial about the DOI : https://doi.org/10.7202/1042988ar severe implications of the Anthropocene. This denial, I suggest, derives from modern humanity’s wish to save itself from the threats of ecocide and Aller au sommaire du numéro apocalypse without having to change its modernist ways. Upon considering this understandable inclination towards denial, the paper unveils the resultant manic-depressive opposition between ecomodernism and deep ecology. Modern humanity’s respective manic and depressive reactions to these two Éditeur(s) poles fosters a manic, escapist denial that promotes modernist expansion and Athabasca University Press limits our capacity to reform Anthropocene discourse and avoid environmental crisis. The analogy between bipolar disorder and the ecomodernism / deep ecology opposition draws from Darian Leader’s Lacanian ISSN psychoanalytic account, as well as his phenomenological-psychiatric 1705-9429 (numérique) influences. Découvrir la revue Citer cet article Kupferschmidt, P. (2016). The Bipolarity of Modern ‘Man’ in the Anthropocene: Ecomodernist Mania as Case for Unmanning Anthropocene Discourse. The Trumpeter, 32(2), 102–125. https://doi.org/10.7202/1042988ar Copyright (c), 2017 Philip Douglas Kupferschmidt Ce document est protégé par la loi sur le droit d’auteur.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction. Rethinking the Idea of Nature Aurélie Choné, Isabelle Hajek, Philippe Hamman
    Introduction. Rethinking the idea of nature Aurélie Choné, Isabelle Hajek, Philippe Hamman To cite this version: Aurélie Choné, Isabelle Hajek, Philippe Hamman. Introduction. Rethinking the idea of nature. Rethinking Nature. Challenging Disciplinary Boundaries, Routledge, pp.1-10, 2017. hal-02926646 HAL Id: hal-02926646 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02926646 Submitted on 31 Aug 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Introduction Rethinking the idea of nature AURELIE CHONE, ISABELLE HAJEK & PHILIPPE HAMMAN The prospect of humankind’s destruction is nowadays focusing the attention of political and economic decision-makers as well as researchers in a wide range of disciplines. Rethinking the relations between nature and culture and, beyond it, the very idea of nature has then become unavoidable. This book is revisiting the way environmental issues can be apprehended through new epistemologies and new forms of investigation. Our intention is to put emphasis on the disciplines that are emerging when connecting ecology with different specific standpoints and to highlight the circulation of knowledge across national and cultural spaces, within the Western world and through comparisons with other cultural spaces. A widely diversified range of topics is considered in order to challenge the established relations both in representations and social practices between nature and society.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecosophy Through Jātaka Tales
    Language & Ecology | 2021 http://ecolinguistics-association.org/journal I nternational Ecolinguistics Association Article Ecosophy through Jātaka tales Monalisa Bhattacherjee Indian Institute of Technology Patna, India E-mail: [email protected] Sweta Sinha Indian Institute of Technology Patna, India E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Society is filled with different kinds of stories for validating its cultural ideologies and beliefs. These stories (fables, myths, proverbs, legends, etc.) pass on from ages and form schemata for the community members. As the stories have great power in framing the community’s conceptual frameworks, they can also change human cognition related to the natural world. This article provides an ecosophy in tune with the Buddhism sūtras following ahimsā or nonviolence, reincarnation, and value and compassion towards nonhuman animals. Through this paper, the Jātaka tales are presented as a beneficial discourse for creating ecological awareness among people. The book Buddha Stories by Demi has been given an ecocritical reading and linguistic analysis of the narratives exploring the animals in Jātaka stories as manifestations of life deserving respect and empathy. The paper presents Jātaka tales as the exploratory study of a new paradigm in analysing the text and to encourage a discourse that overcomes the perception of commodifying nature as human possession and its mere utility to humans. None of the academic research has introduced Jātaka stories in the light of the “eco-” disciplines, as constructive discourses for people to live by and utilising them to conceptualise the nonhuman animals as sentient beings. Thus, the aim is forming a beneficial discourse to resist the hegemonic discourses that harm ecology and presenting a positive outlook for future generations to pursue a sustainable livelihood.
    [Show full text]