Ecologism Flashcards
(28 cards)
Ecologist Key Thinkers
1) Rachel Carson
2) E.F. Schumacher
3) Aldo Leopold
4) Murray Bookchin
5) Carol Merchant
What is the Malthusian Catastrophe?
Population growth would outstrip food production
Carson Key Ideas
1) Reject anthropocentrism
2) Humans shouldn’t decide what lives or dies
3) Harm natural world = harming humanity
Key Text: Silent Spring (1962)
Background of Carson
- Marine Biologist
- Drew awareness to impact of chemicals
- Pressured for creation of Environmental Protection Agency
E.F. Schumacher Key Ideas
1) Capitalism is unsustainable
2) Small, self-sufficient communities
3) Opposed large corporations + globalisation
4) Pastoralism
5) Post-Materialism
Key Text: Small is Beautiful (1973)
Background of Schumacher
- Taught by Keynes at Oxford
- Detained in WW2
- Economic adviser for 1945 Labour govt
- Working in Asia influenced thinking
- Major influence on Post-Materialism
What is Post-Materialism?
- Criticise overly-consumerist society
- People think of society as what they consume
- New society needs small communities that are sustainable
What is Holism?
- All nature is an interconnected super-organism
- Damage ripples out
- Lovelock: “Gaia Hypothesis”
- Capra: “Web of Life”
- Society needs to reflect interconnection
Leopold Key Ideas
1) The Land Ethic - notion of humanity within nature
2) Ethical obligation to conserve nature (key state goal)
3) Anthropocentrism hinders conservation
Key Text: A Sand County Almanac (1949)
Background of Aldo Leopold
- Born in rural Iowa
- Worked in US Forestry Service
- Founded Wilderness Society
Bookchin Key Ideas
1) “Social ecologism” - env. damage and class oppression stem from capitalism
2) Poor most impacted by destruction
3) Corporations + state responsible
4) Capitalism distorts relationship
5) Dismantle state + capitalism for eco-anarchist communes
Key Text: Post-Scarcity Anarchism (1971)
Background of Bookchin
- Hippie Movement
- Civil Right Movement
- “Capitalism can no more be persuaded”
Merchant Key Ideas
1) Scientific Revolution distorted connection
2) Earth-Humanity = Mother-Child
3) Domination of nature = Patriarchy
4) Gender equality leads to more sustainability
Key Text: The Death of Nature (1980)
Background of Merchant
- Saw 60s/70s Feminist movement
- Influenced by Friedan
- Carson’s Silent Spring
Ecologism on Society?
1) Ecocentrism
2) Holism
3) Post-Materialism
4) Self-sufficient communes
5) Interconnected with nature
Ecologism on Economy?
1) Capitalism causes destruction
2) Capitalism distorts relationship
3) Post-Materialism
4) Capitalism linked to social oppression
5) Communism under ecosocialism
Ecologism on State?
1) Should promote stability
2) Renewable energy
3) Preserve nature
4) Can’t be solved in isolation
5) Environmental Ethics
Details around Environmental Ethics
1) Stewardship Model: Current generation has obligation to preserve for future
2) Animal Rights
- Protect life to an extent
- Some argue same rights as humans
- Animal Liberation Front
- “Animal Liberation” - Peter Singer
State’s Role:
- Laws on conservation
- Laws around animal cruelty
- Restrictions on testing
Ecologism on Human nature?
1) Rejects anthropocentrism
2) No hierarchy between nature and humanity
3) Ecocentrism
4) Must develop env. consciousness
5) Nature has intrinsic value without humanity
Details around Deep Green Ecologism?
- Coined by Arne Naess in 1973
- Carson, Schumacher, Leopold
Deep Green Beliefs?
1) Anti-capitalist
2) Holism
3) Spiritualism
4) Pastoralism
5) Environmental Ethics
6) Biocentrism
7) Social Transformation
Shallow Green Beliefs?
1) Reform within structures
2) Ethical obligation
3) Capitalism compatible (Green Capitalism)
4) Gradualism
5) No Holism
6) More anthropocentric
7) Focus on individual action
What is Bright Green Ecologism?
Focus on using tech innovations to environmental problems (part of Shallow Greens)
Social Ecologism Beliefs
1) Ecosocialism:
- Class oppression and env. destruction stem from capitalism
- Socialist govt wouldn’t seek growth – Sustainable
- Biocentric equality
2) Eco-anarchism:
- Both state & capitalism cause damage
- US military #1 source of carbon emmissions
- Small autonomous communes
3) Eco-feminism:
- Parallels between env. damage and patriarchy
- Nature is feminine
- Society with equality can better conserve
