Ecologism

Anthropocentrism

mankind as the centre of the natural world, rooted in the bible ( judeao-christian) God made the earth for mankinds usage

stewardship model

although mankind is superior to nature they also have a god given duty to care for the earth they have been given

Eco-centrism

humans are a part of the natural world not seperate, nature centric

all aspects of nature have equal value

environmental consciousness

deep greens argue that if we can rid ourselves of our natural anthropocentrism we can begin to develop environmental consciousness. this kind of consiousness sees mankind having equal status with nature

intrinsic value

value in itself , human need to be conscious of the natural world , we should see it in terms of natures own welfare rather than the welfare of mankind

( deep green)

is there a shallow green version of environmental consciousness ?

yes ! it simply argues that in all actions, humans should be aware of the impact there having on the environment , always recycling when possible , conserving energy etc.

homeostasis

the natural world is in a state of equilibrium , its not loosing resources , the atmosphere is balanced, nature is able to replicate itself successfully

features of sustainability

biodiversity, preserving natural resources, preserving nature, controlling atmospheric and water pollution

key international agreements that perpetuate sustainability

1997 kyoto- agreement on measures to prevent long term climate change

Paris agreement 2015. main commitment is to halt the rise in global warming

sustainable development

the current generation should not use up resources and degrade the environment to the detriment of future generations , eg renewable energy

environmental ethics

1) the issue of stewardship suggests that the current gen has an ethical obligation to manage our planet in a way that will benefit future generations

2) animal rights , some deep greens believe animals have similar natural rights to humans , less dramatic ( shallow) preserving species , outlawing recreational hunting etc

what is the post materialism criticism

the idea that consumerism is a form of consciousness

that people now see existence in terms of what they consume rather than what or how they behave

Hollism

proposes that all nature is interconnected , a single organic whole , if humans take an action that effects one part of nature then it can affect the rest of nature

what are the two views that stand in opposition to that ?

nature is divided into its constituent parts and that they can be treated seperatly. damage to one part of the natural world will not necessarily affect the others

mechanistic world view= nature is like a machine and has separate parts that operate in predictable ways

what is Lovelock’s Gai theory

the earth itself is a single organism , the earth has the ability to repair itself

The economy , why do ecologists hate capitalism ?

its inbuilt need for economic growth creates an insatiable drive for output , this kind of growth means capitalist enterprises will continually drive up natural resources in the race for growth

drive for profit ?

world view ?

will always choose keeping down costs over environmental protection

capitalists world view is mechanistic , any damage they do is limited to a specific area holism disagrees

capitalist, technological solution ?

many capitalists believe that environomental problems will have technological remdies. Thesis is that environment, damage creates demand for remedies and one the demand for remedy is enough , free market capitalism will develop remedies to meet the demand . ecologists believe that there is no reason why environmental protection should turn profit therefore the remedies will never happen

first perspective of green capitalism

schumacher, advocating for complete change in the way capitalism operates, advocating for decentralisation of production. the creation of small scale productive units on the basis of living in small communes , these units should be as self sufficient as possible

second perspective of green capitalism

Tom Burke - more optimistic view of ca[capitalism and the environment. insisting the possibility of an ethical kind of capitalism which is committed to environmental protection. Gov will have to take action to regulate this kind of capitalism:

carbon tax - levied on companies that release carbon into the atmosphere

massive investment in industries committed to promoting sustainable development

global action

third perspective on green capitalism

the consumer choice model, as environmental concerns become more serious and urgent there will be a rise in consumer demand for environmental protection

political discourse on climate change has led to 81% emissions cut by 2035

deep greem ecologism

holism, bio-centrism, anti-capitalism, naturalism/pastoral-ism, social transformation, ethics, spiritualism

naturalism/ pastoralism

this philosophy suggests we have lost our connection with nature and we need to reconnect with the natural world in a spiritual way

spiritualism

some deep ecologist view environmental consciousnesses in religious or spiritual terms, nature as a permanent cycle of life of which humans are but one part

difference between shallow and deep green

shallow are social reformers rather than changing our fundamental consciousness of the world

shallow green

emissions control, biodiversity, preservation of the countryside , sustainable energy, energy conservation

arguing all this is available within the existing political and economic structures

ecosocialism

capitalism as the main cause of environmental problems , must be replaced with socialism, as it does not include capitalism’s desire for growth and industrial development

yet historically socialist states are pretty exploitative

ecosocialists argue that the creation of real equality and common ownership will indeed take away the constant desire for growth

echo-anarchism

hate not just capitalism but the state , therefore the partnership between capitalism and the state must be broken by abloshing the state and transforming capitalism into communism

small scale communist orgs bring mankind closer to nature = good , if they are directly involved with food production , they will have a vested interest in the protection of the land

eco-feminism

patriarchy as the cause of exploitation of nature

men are naturally exploitative, egoist and selfish, a and treat both nature and women in this way

whereas women are nurtiung and caring by nature.

a world in which the genders learn to respect each other will be one that develops a caring female attitude towards nature

merchant gives nature a female identity ,

if patriarchy can be combated and if me learn to treat women as equals they will treat nature as equal to humankind

rachel carson

silent spring = her study of harmful chemicals that were leaching into pesticides and lakes demonstrated the enormous damage being done to plant and animal life.

vision of anthropocentrism ,

by polluting the environment she believed mankind was making a decision about who lives and who dies which was a form of arrogance

aldo leopold

key figure in the field of environmental ethics

humans have an equal place in the world to animals , furthermore mankind has a duty to protect the countryside in general, for both its sake and the as the habitat for wild creatures

aldo leopold quote

“we abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us”

aldo leopold , biodiversity

big advocate. measures to conserve dangerous species and their habitats

e.f, schumacher

novel “small is beautiful” , because of the way in which capitalism and consumerism were developing , the world will eventually run out of resources. to combat this you need to limit capitalism’s constant desire for growth, and revert to simple technologies

shcumachers advocation for Buddhist economics

people will find simpler ways of living and working with limited desires for goods and a more natural more spiritual relationship with the environment

his ideas are often described as pastoralism, a call for people to return to the land and start living a simpler form of existence ( link to post-materialism)

Bookchin

ecoanarchist , who opposed capitalism on two grounds 1) exploitative to workers and 2) exploitative towards the natural environment

“capitalism can be no more persuaded to limit growth than a human being can be persuaded to stop breathing”

carolym merchant

gives the earth a female identity likening its relationship to humans to that of a mother to her children

patriarchy also includes the domination of nature by men

partnership ethic