"Burke's view of society, as an association of the dead, the living and the unborn, carries a precious hint as to how the responsibility for future generations arises. It arises from love, and love directed towards what is unknown must arise from what is known. The future is not known, nor are the people who will inhabit it. But the past is known, and the dead, our dead, are still the objects of love and veneration. It is by expending on them some part of our care, Burke believe, that we care also for the unborn. For we plant in our hearts the transgenerational view of society that is the best guarantee that we will moderate our present appetites in the interests of those who are yet to be."
Roger Scruton, How to Think Seriously about the Planet
An important theme in Scruton's book is summed up in this paragraph: in order to do what is right for future generations, we must too respect the past; in doing this, we will be able to respect the earth as our home and all that it stands for. I am not exactly sure how Scruton intends his reader to interpret this, but I saw it as this: learn from the mistakes of our ancestors, but also from the things they did correctly in their lives and for the earth. Take these lessons and apply them to our own lives, thinking not only of ourselves but also for future generations. This theory of loving both one's ancestors and progeny as a political and environmental necessity has its merits, but also seems rather vague and irrational in modern society. Society today seems to have turned away from both respecting one's ancestors and considering the consequences of our actions with the future in mind. We live solely for ourselves, thinking seldom of our past and even less of the ramifications our lives might have for future generations of humans. We need to realize that if we continue to manipulate nature as we are doing now, we are doing an injustice to future humans. If we do not consider our lives, especially our lives in relation to the environment, with the future in mind, then our children and theirs will inherit an abused and flawed planet. I would also add to Scruton's theory a need for the love of the Earth, because it is our home; Scruton emphasizes the human attachment to home at other points throughout his novel, Love as a rational for protecting the environment seems unreasonable, but in reality it may be the most logical of all for our species, social creatures who truly thrive on interactions and relationships with others. We must protect the earth out of love, because it is our home, and because we bear the same love for humanity in the future.
Do you think love is a viable reason for protecting the earth, and if so, in what degree does it make sense in relation to more rational and scientific arguments we have encountered? Do you agree with Scruton's theory of learning from our past in order to prepare for the future?
This "love" argument is very interesting, and I see another aspect in it besides "extending our past loves into our future and therefore being invested in that future". I immediately thought of investing our innately selfish love--the love that one can ONLY have for oneself in the sense that one only fully experiences and understands one's own thoughts and actions--into love of other people. Just as you can "assume" that you will love your children just as much as your parents love you, you can similarly "assume" that each individual loves themselves (or at least has legitimate thoughts and experiences themselves) just as you do, and that is reason enough to look out for them, even NOW. This would let us empathize with people in run-down neighborhoods feeling the brunt of our ecological devastation every time they venture outside.
ReplyDeleteAlso, in regard to your first question, I absolutely think that love is a reason for protecting the Earth. In some ways, I even think that "rational" arguments for why we should sustain the planet lie most fundamentally on some sort of love of life and of human life in particular. But there's also undoubtedly a "rational" basis for loving the Earth and life. In this sense, I don't really think those are two different things, but are both such human experiences that they constantly are used together to justify our actions.