Ecology: Biology of Interactions. 6.24. Ecoconversion

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6.23. (Addendum) Principles of Rational Environmental Ethics

D. Shabanov, M. Kravchenko. Ecology: Biology of Interaction Section 6. Human Ecology and Conservation

Appendix I. Course Program

6.24. Ecoconversion If people are to survive, they will need a fundamentally new way of thinking. Albert Einstein To deliberately and decisively put an end to growth is the hardest decision, and one that is not easy to accept. "The Limits to Growth. A Report to the Club of Rome" I often say that taking care of yourself is very important. But you can only truly take care of yourself by taking care of the well-being of others, because we are social animals. Today, the future of each of us depends on the entire seven-billion-strong humanity. Take care of humanity, and it will bring you the greatest benefit. But if you think only of yourself, exhibiting short-sighted egocentrism, the result will be the opposite. Caring for others is in your best interest. Dalai Lama XIV Human activity and society as a whole are influenced by both innate properties and culturally determined norms. Social consciousness is a very inertial system. Many of its features were formed when humanity consisted of antagonistic groups that exploited externally inexhaustible natural resources. Now, despite political fragmentation, humanity has become global. It is no longer individual nations exploiting their territories, but humanity as a whole using the biosphere, whose resources are close to depletion. Although the current way of acting is familiar, it is by no means the only possible one. Current social consciousness is based on humanity's past experience. Those forms of behavior that ensured the success of small isolated groups (group egoism, xenophobia, confrontation with a hostile environment) are becoming inadequate for global humanity. It is no longer individual nations exploiting their territories, but humanity as a whole using the biosphere, whose resources are close to depletion. Although the current way of acting is familiar, it is by no means the only possible one. Perhaps the condition for humanity's survival is a comprehensive restructuring of social consciousness, associated with a change in relations with the environment – ecoconversion. It is likely that from what you have read in this textbook, it has become clear that there are no ready-made answers as to what humanity should become – there is only an understanding of what it must cease to be. For ecoconversion, it is necessary to free oneself from many widespread myths – explicit and implicit attitudes of our consciousness that shape our perception of reality and our relationship with it. Naturally, no one can offer a "correct" list of such myths, let alone a set of provisions that should replace them. The authors of this textbook propose that readers consider one of the variants of this list of myths – as a basis for reflection and discussion. To some, some of these myths may seem like ABC truths. This is a consequence of either the authors' error or the reader's lack of freedom in perception. Therefore, according to the authors, our development is limited, in particular, by the following myths: — the myth of man as the pinnacle of creation and master of nature; — the myth that there is an authority (political leader, boss, God, prophet, genius, Big Brother, etc.) who can prescribe the right course of action; — the myth that earthly life is not intrinsically valuable and serves only as a test of qualities that will determine true, posthumous existence (e.g., in paradise or hell); — the myth that an "ordinary person" does not need to rack their brains over global problems; it is the business of scientists, who "will figure something out"; — the myth of the omnipotence or superhuman value of science as one of the ways of our interaction with reality; — the myth that human social nature has allowed it to get rid of innate biological properties; — the myth that innate biological properties of humans can be evaluated as "good" or "bad" (e.g., that humans are inherently selfish and therefore bad); — the myth that the species around us can be divided into "useful" and "harmful"; — the myth that all properties of an organism are contained in its genotype (and the value of an organism is exhausted by the features of this genotype), characteristic of a vulgarized understanding of modern science; — the myth of woman as a species of human beings intended for reproduction (characteristic of primitive patriarchal societies); — the myth of woman as a creature who must follow fashion, shine with beauty, lead a secular lifestyle, and not be too intelligent (characteristic of consumer society); — the myth of the existence of nations as something united by "blood" (kinship) and deserving of sacrifices from individuals; — the myth of imperialism, of the task of governing peoples that stands before "great nations"; — the myth of the intrinsic value of the state, in some way exceeding the value of its citizens; — the myth of "natural resources" as something of which we are the natural masters; — the myth that every person has natural rights to minerals buried within the borders of the state of which they are a citizen, and no relation to minerals buried outside these borders; — the myth that the happiness and value of an individual's life increase with the growth of their consumption or wealth; — the myth that a self-respecting person must conform to the consumption standards offered by modern advertising industry; — the myth of the existence of "objective" evaluations, more reliable than "subjective" evaluations of individuals; — the myth of the existence of "objective science" in which the researcher merely chooses a methodologically correct algorithm, collects input data, and transfers their processing to an impeccable computer program that "itself" performs the necessary calculations and conclusions; — the myth that science should explore "objective reality" as a world of individual objects (things, bodies) that exist independently of us and our interaction with them; — the myth that we ourselves can be understood by considering us not as subjects who perceive, cognize, and adapt, but as certain objects of the "world of things" – "reality"; — the myth of the greater morality or value of the traditional, patriarchal way of life and its suitability for the current stage of human development; — the myth that the experience of our ancestors, common sense, omens, and value structures formed in one era can be applied in conditions of ecological crisis; — the myth that a post-industrial society, whose main resource is information, can be sustainable while preserving the morality of an agrarian or industrial society; — many other, still implicit myths. Are you ready to take responsibility for your way of thinking and for the future of the Earth and humanity?

6.23. (Addendum) Principles of Rational Environmental Ethics

D. Shabanov, M. Kravchenko. Ecology: Biology of Interaction Section 6. Human Ecology and Conservation

Appendix I. Course Program