For thousands of years, human inhabitants of Earth have expressed desire for complete sovereignty over available resources and have sought control from objectionable organisms both large and small. In his 1967 article “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis,” historian Lynn White Jr. argued that Western Judeo-Christian views of humanity’s dominion over nature have led to ecological destruction. Having removed the spiritual obstacles to exploiting nature, these anthropocentric ideas place humans outside and above our natural world.
Meanwhile, modern capitalistic economies have funneled expenditures towards projects and programs designed to enhance individual, group, and commercial prestige almost always at the expense and/or ignorance of sustainability. All the while, what truly maintains human flourishing doesn’t have serial numbers and price tags. Financial support for communal workers, teachers, artists, stewards, and care-takers is most needed for our sense of belonging, well-being and well-becoming both locally and globally.
A deep and truthful awareness of our human place in the natural world must combine, not isolate, scientific, artistic, and spiritual perceptions of reality. Radical philosophical, psychological, social, and political transformation is needed for humanity to develop creative, innovative, and sustainable ways of life.
How can natural inclusional logic provide a more realistic understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes?
