Suchergebnisse

This 1996 interview with Norwegian philosopher Naess, founder of deep ecology, focuses on the politics of deep ecology philosophy & the deep ecology movement. Naess states that he is sympathetic with the statements of the movement & that these reflect the essential principles of the deep ecology philosophy. The relation between pluralism, centralism, & social ecology is briefly discussed using the example of Uruguay. The relationship of deep ecology to socialism & ecofeminism is also considered. A certain frustration is registered concerning the tendency of ecological philosophers to concern themselves with metaethical issues rather than dealing directly with the ethics that might inform responsible ecological movements. Finally, the tendency of ecophilosophy literature contributors to remain critically distant from Naess's work is lamented as a consequence of Naess's tendency to engage in social interactions rather than in argumentation. D. M. Smith

Critically examines ideas about society, nature, & the revolutionary project put forward by Murray Bookchin, 1980-1990, in which he outlines the doctrine of social ecology. Bookchin's ideas are framed in terms of two competing, often contradictory, discourses, the first of which centers on a dialectical notion of reason that promotes Enlightenment humanism & the harmonization of humanity & nature, & the second centers on a narrative of fall & redemption in which enlightenment is only a distant glimmer in the current situation of dominance & hierarchy. It is suggested that both narratives end in viewing all forms of hierarchy as domination of nature, & in conceiving an anarchist form of social ecology that demands nothing less than the dissolution of all such hierarchies. Further, it is argued that Bookchin conceives a world in which humans are at once grounded in nature yet retain the characteristically human capacity to exercise freedom. Bookchin's naturalism is taken to close off possibilities of human representation & to inappropriately censor forms of human connection to nature that do not adhere to his view of dialectical reason. D. M. Smith

Investigates links between the local & the global in the distributional conflicts over ecological conditions of livelihood & production & the role of environmental movements in establishing such links. In contrast to Ronald Ingelhart's (1977) postmaterialist thesis, which suggests that environmental movements are a consequence of a shift in values in the North, it is argued that environmentalism takes a number of forms & is spurred in a diversity of conditions. Specifically, environmentalism often arises as a matter of survival or as a response to desperately poor living conditions rather than in response to prosperity. However, reliance on environmental movements to register conflicts between the local & the global is taken to be misplaced, as there are many cases in which the existence of acknowledged externality failed to spur a grassroots environmental movement. While no concrete link between the global & local is put forward to explain when such relationships will be developed, the boundaries of the problem are sketched & directions for future research discussed. 2 Tables. D. M. Smith

Discusses the balance between nature & human needs, urging for an ecological socialism that redefines the latter. It is contended that natural balance & human needs are actually complementary, but a capital-driven society disrupts this equilibrium. A number of spurious needs are identified as major strains on natural resources, eg, environmental degradation & fuel consumption, which occur for the sake of maintaining privileged lifestyles. An alternative approach suggests perceiving people as positive agents in an ecological conversion process, rather than as mere consumers & cheap labor. D. Bajo

Examines the organizational origins & institutional operations of the Sierra Club at the national level to illustrate how it has been implicated in an ecoconsumerist environmental movement removed from many of today's global struggles against transnational capitalism's destruction of nature. It is shown that the organizational structure & operations of the Sierra Club privilege sporting practices & images of nature based on the same consumerism that drives most other aspects of industrial society. Particular attention is paid to the way in which the Sierra Club magazine depicts nature as the outdoor version of the consumerist "land of desire." Sierra Club actions are characterized as aimed at insulating a handful of special sites in the environment from overdevelopment while at the same time remaining deeply involved in reproducing the very industrial economy that threatens those sites. D. M. Smith

Examines the challenge of attaining ecological justice in the face of international economic/political competition for natural space & resources. Three ethical dilemmas are identified in regard to achieving an egalitarian solution to global ecological exploitation: (1) how human needs & ecological sustainability can be fulfilled without hindering cultural diversity; (2) how current needs can be reconciled to those of future generations; & (3) how animals fit into the human moral universe. Also discussed is the tendency of first-world needs & desires to be forced on the Third World, & the exploitation that naturally follows. D. Bajo