YR 2 - core ideology: ECOLOGISM Flashcards
Name at least 5 environmental issues
- air / water / land pollution
- global warming , climate change
- extreme weather events
- biodiversity loss
- deforestation
- melting ice caps - rising sea levels
- water scarcity, water acidification
- increased disease
- overpopulation
What is the difference between ecologism and ecology?
Ecologism - philosophy / ideology
Ecology - science
When did ecologism begin? Decade
1960s / 70s
Name the 4 strands related to ecologism
- anthropocentrism
- enlightened anthropocentrism
- ecocentrism
- social ecology
Give key thinker for enlightened anthropocentrism. + book?
Rachel Carson
1962 book: The Silent Spring
The Club of Rome group based their Limits to Growth report off of 3 assumptions. What are they?
- Earth has a carrying capacity. It will run out of the ability to support the population growth when the population grows past a certain point
- Earth has a productive capacity. Its supply of natural resources will run out
- Earth has an absorbent capacity. Earth can only absorb so much pollution
Define anthropocentrism
The view that humans are above and outside of nature and may exploit nature for their own purposes
Define ecology (science)
The scientific study of plants + animals in relation to their environment, with a focus on the interrelationships and interdependence that support different forms of life
When did science + philosophy develop a mechanistic world view that was reductionist in its approach?
During the ENLIGHTENMENT
Define mechanistic world view
This redefines nature as a machine, composed of independent parts, rather than a living organism
Define reductionist approach
The study of independent parts rather than the whole. The world is like a clock work machine which can be understood by taking it apart and looking at the component parts
Explain the view of Holism / holistic approach
Nature is a system of relationships + ecosystems, and not a collection of particles / fragments which exist in isolation from each other
Define sustainability
The ability of a system, like Earth, to maintain its health over time
Which quote by Rachel Carson was took controversially ?
‘’ man is a part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself’
What is enlightened anthropocentrism also known as ?
Light / shallow greens
what does enlightened anthropocentrism believe man’s role is?
to be stewards of the Earth, not masters of nature
define intergenerational equity (enlightened anthropocentrism)
the present generation must not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their needs
in enlightened anthropocentrism, what value does nature have?
instrumental value. use to humans
what is ecocentrism also known as?
Deep / dark greens
what type of value does ecocentrism believe nature has
intrinsic value : value in its own right, which is entirely separate from its value to humanity
what does ecocentrism believe man’s role is with nature?
humans are not masters or stewards of the Earth but plain citizens of nature
define industrialism (in ecologism terms)
large scale production, faith in technology and belief in limitless growth to satisfy material needs and consumer desires
what belief directly opposes industrialism?
sustainability
what type of sustainability do deep greens and light greens believe in? (different)
light greens - weak sustainability
deep greens - strong sustainability
what type of economic GROWTH ( not system) do light greens favour?
-economic growth at a slower pace
-smarter growth
what types of capitalism do light greens desire?
green consumerism / green capitalism
or
green managerialism
give examples of green managerialism
- subsidies to fund greener companies
- ecological legislation
- fund ecologist education
- international treaties such as Paris Agreement
- use taxes. eg higher tax on higher pollution
what can consumers do to create green consumerism / capitalism?
- boycott polluting brands
- support greener companies
- be vegan or vegetarian
- buy locally or directly from suppliers
- buy second hand
what would green consumerism cause corporations to do?
corporations would have no choice but to go greener or they would go bankrupt. can create greener products, research and development.
what type of economic growth do deep greens favour?
degrowth, followed by a steady state economy. also known as zero growth economy
according to deep greens, what principles must our economy be based on? think of 1.
- localisation not globalisation
- focussed on needs, not wants
- benefits of growth must outweigh the costs
what is meant by natural capital?
valuable natural resources like coal, gas, water, forests etc
what do light greens and dark greens believe about natural capital?
light - natural capital can be used as long as its used to build manufactured capital like roads, of equivalent value.
deep - must maintain natural capital
what is sustainable development?
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. our common future.
define consumerism
the idea that the consumption + acquisition of material goods is the principal goal of human existence. through material goods, we achieve happiness + social status
define materialism
a system of values that is focussed on possessions and the social image they project
what is biocentric equality?
nature has intrinsic value
what is environmental consciousness?
‘self realisation’ - thinking like a mountain and realise our ecological self
Who is the key thinker for deep green philosophy / ecocentrism?
ALDO LEOPOLD
What moral code does Aldo Leopold offer for ecocentrism thinking?
The Land Ethic
summarise the Land Ethic
the land meaning soils, water, plants etc is part of the moral community. “a thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community, it is wrong when it tends otherwise”
name 3 deep green principles
- sustainable societies
- strong sustainability
- end consumerism + materialism
- degrowth in the West followed by steady state economies
- oppose gigantism + industrialism
- work must be creative + spiritually fulfilling
- small, autonomous communities using communal ownership + locality
what is gigantism
the growth of huge, greedy, global corporations that mass produce goods in vast numbers in huge factories creating dehumanising work
Who, other than Aldo Leopold, informed green thinking?
E F SCHUMACHER
What is meant by Buddhist economics?
replaces the quantity of goods with quality, replaces wants with simplified needs to make production sustainable and dehumanised work with work that is spiritually fulfilling
what do deep greens call their end goal?
living democracies
what is bioregionalism?
there are natural regions across the Earth, with their own natural cycles + boundaries. These should provide the basis for organisation rather than the artificial boundaries of the state.
in a deep green utopia, communities can be diverse, but will be based on concepts of?
freedom, true democracy, tolerance + equality.
give 2 features of deep greens’ ‘living democracies’
1) bioregionalism
2) interdependence
3) communal
4) diversity
what is the third and last strand of ecologism? what is its substrands?
SOCIAL ECOLOGY
sub-strands: eco- anarchism, eco-feminism, eco-socialism
Who is the key thinker for social ecology?
MURRAY BOOKCHIN
What do social ecologists argue is the main cause of ecological problems?
deep seated social problems : hierarchies, domination, oppression
what is complementarity?
a partnership / relationship of cooperation of humans with nature
how would the social ecologists end goal be met?
a revolution that disbands all hierarchies and forms of societal domination
what does anarchy mean
without a ruler / government.
where did human domination over nature originate from according to eco-anarchists?
has its origins in the domination of humans by humans.
what is the basis of eco-anarchists view?
human on human hierarchy has led humanity to become separated from its own true nature and from the natural world itself. Therefore when we get rid of human hierarchies, human domination over nature will also dissolve.
what do eco-anarchists / social ecologists believe about anthropocentrism, ecocentrism etc?
all ‘centrisms’ involve hierarchies. ecocentrism puts nature over humans
What is Murray Bookchin’s main criticism of deep ecology?
they have a lack of clear route to an ecologically oriented society from the present anti-ecological one.
name 2 things that dark greens and social ecology both agree on (both oppose)
-anthropocentrism
-capitalism, consumerism, materialism
-the existing state and society
name 2 things that dark greens and social ecology both agree on (both support)
-strong sustainability
-new world: decentralised communes based on needs not wants and direct democracy
how does Bookchin / social ecologists describe capitalism? a _____ or _____ system.
a grow or die system of domination
who is the key thinker for eco-feminism?
Carolyn Merchant
explain the basis of the eco-feminist ideology. where do they believe the domination of nature by humans originates from?
-before the enlightenment / scientific revolution, Earth was female + seen as a living organism
-in the scientific revolution, nature was seen as a machine + inert (non-living)
-Francis Bacon was arguing that nature should have ‘her’ secrets ‘wrested’ from her ‘womb’ by science + technology.
-At the same time, in the rise of early capitalism, women were removed from the sphere of production + lost control over their bodies (reproductive).
-Patriarchy is tied into capitalism + the mechanistic worldview
explain the basis of the eco-socialism argument
- Marx - capitalism systematically exploits ‘the original sources of all wealth - the soil and the worker’.
- this will create a growing environmental proletariat, working in inhumane conditions + in line to face the worst ecological consequences.
- this proletariat, mainly based in the global south, will revolt
Who are the 3 main key thinkers for core ideology ecologism and what strands do they apply to?
Rachel Carson - light greens / enlightened anthropocentrism
Aldo Leopold - (Land Ethic) dark greens / ecocentrism
Murray Bookchin - social ecology
what thinker can we apply to discuss the economy / materialism + consumerism?
EF SCHUMACHER
