6. “The latter
principle tends to reduce the multiplicity of forms of life and lead to
destruction within the communities of the same species. Hence, ecologists
inspired attitudes favour the diversity of the ways of life, of cultures, of
occupations, of economies. They support the fight against economic, cultural,
and military domination, and they are opposed to the annihilation of seals and
whales to the same degree that they are opposed to the annihilation of human
tribes or cultures (232, Naess).”
Deep ecology attempts to
incorporate all aspects of an ecosystem including the complicated ones that are
connected to human involvement. I found this quotation essential to the idea of
deep ecology. Ecologists look at humans as equals and parallels to other animals.
Therefore diversity in human life and culture is just as important as
biodiversity in ecosystems. Also I think that diversity in human beings and
cultures can sometimes promote biodiversity. Many times I have seen evidence of
western culture becoming dominant over others through globalization. In Bali,
Indonesia there are now McDonalds next to gorgeous temples. There culture is
increasingly becoming like ours through consumption. Along with this, the
environment there is suffering. They use
to use banana leaves, etc for plates and utensils and would throw them on the
ground to decompose. Now that plastic has been introduced they still throw the
plastic and wrappers on the ground. By losing cultures we are hurting diversity
of humans and nature.
I do think that globalization has
its advantages and has helped the economies of many countries, but at what
cost? Do you think the spread of western culture is dangerous for the
environment?
I completely agree with you that the spread of western culture is dangerous to the environment. Western culture has been characterized by industrialization, fast growing cities, and its peoples' high rates of consumption. In this way wilderness and nature need to be forcibly protected by national parks and reserves since they have become so threatened by the ever expanding industrialization of civilizations. Because of the massive extent that western industry has destroyed wilderness, our nation has romanticized nature and created a sort of "pristine myth" of what the world was like before the onset of the industrial revolution. Unfortunately this pristine myth and our national parks are all that remain of the wild frontiers of our western world. In most other cultures outside of the U.S. and Europe, nature is seen much more as a thing to be protected and revered rather than exploited as a resource.
ReplyDeleteIn cases like the one you mentioned, the introduction of Western culture does seem to be more dangerous than beneficial. On the one hand, other cultures cannot be exempt from blame when it comes to inflicting damage to the environment and consuming too much. Even before globalization native cultures were causing their own, unique environmental problems. Native Americans would “manage” their land by causing mass forest fires in order to make paths and hunt more effectively. Sometimes these wildfires would become uncontrollable and destroy more than they planned to and vegetation would not grow back.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, globalization of energy sources common to the US such as oil and petroleum caused long-lasting damage to the Earth. Regions that ditched natural energy sources faced water and soil pollution, with the effects of soil pollution lasting for years. Maybe it’s the way we take on new things and run with it without restraint?
The inundation of Western culture does seem to be a global problem, and one that is certainly threatening to biodiversity. As has been said, Western countries, particularly the United States, encourage urban expansion and modernization at rapid rates, a practice which undoubtedly causes pollution and environmental destruction. Particularly in Brazil, mass deforestation has occurred to continue building structures mainly in America. Taylor is also correct in saying that some practices destructive to the environment come from these cultures themselves. For example, most poaching of large animals such as tigers, elephants, and lions is done not because of a Western desire to hunt them but for indigenous medicine or ritual practices.
ReplyDeleteI think it is wonderful to view the preservation of culture as a priority, but the world will modernize in some ways whether we like it or not. I think the only way to do this in a way that is beneficial to the environment is to preserve those cultural traditions that respect nature and discard those that do not. Furthermore, all modernization should be done in an environmental way, using renewable energy sources, sustainable farming practices, and building techniques to minimize environmental impact.
I agree with everyone else that Western culture has impacted the natural world in a dangerous way and that we must find a way to deal with this problem. While globalization and other Western practices do provide us with a better quality of life, the detrimental effects our way of life has on the environment should be more of a priority than our comfort. Therefore, I do find the deep ecology movement appealing as it calls for a change in the way we perceive and treat nature. I just wonder how exactly we can realistically change the way we think and interact with nature. Changing laws mandating better treatment of the environment will not change the way our culture treats the environment and education on this problem alone, nor can education alone persuade society to change the way they think about the natural world. I do think that we make those changes while still keeping the comfort and benefits we have gained from globalization, it's just a question of how this change can happen.
ReplyDelete