Lecture #12

Bookchin’s Social Ecology

“Society is a human creation, and some forms of society lead to an attitude that encourages humans to dominate and destroy the natural world”

“Unless North American Greens and the ecology movement shift their focus toward a social ecology and let deep ecology sink into the pit it has created for us, the ecology movement will become another ugly wart on the skin of society”

Social Ecology has two linked parts:

Bookchin’s critique of Deep Ecology

Bookchin’s positive argument for Social Ecology

Previously: arguments against Deep Ecology

Challenge #1: Overgeneralized responsibility

Who is responsible?

Who should pay the price?

Challenge #2: Eco-radicalism

Radical tendency? or “Fascistic” tendency?

A backlash by moderate environmentalists?

Challenge #3: Problems with bioregionalism

Is this what we desire? Would it have to be enforced by law?

Would bioregionalism have an optimal outcome?

Challenge #4: Deep Ecology versus Social Ecology

Deep Ecology pays attention primarily (exclusively?) to ‘philosophical worldviews’— cultural, spiritual underpinnings of society

What about ‘concrete’ legal, economic and political institutions

Bookchin’s critique of Deep Ecology

We should develop and nurture a new form of “ecological consciousness”

We need to critically examine the “ecological, philosophical and spiritual” structures of modern societies

We need to “radically transform” them to conform to an eco-centric perspective

Critique #1: A “misanthropic” philosophy

“Bio-centricity” is a concept that resonates deeply with environmentalists

But, as an environmental philosophy, it suggests that we should undertake policies of population control and coercion that disregard the rights and basic interests of human beings

Critique #2: Economic structures: grow or die

The capitalist production cycle

àààRaw materials/natural resources ààà

àààCommodities for the open market

The suggestion that we should simply create a new “philosophical worldview” that replaces “dominant worldview” is superficial

Not only cultural changes, but also structural changes are needed

Critique #3: Hierarchies of control

The nature of a “market society”

Domination is fundamental to market society

To overcome this form of domination, one must challenge and replace market society plank by plank

“Unless there is a resolute attempt to fully anchor ecological dislocations in social dislocations; to challenge the vested corporate and political interests we call capitalism; to analyze and attack hierarchy as a reality…”

Positive argument for Social Ecology

We need to identify and replace forms of social domination associated with our economic system

First and second nature…

First nature

“Primeval nature”

Evolutionary processes of which humanity is one minor element

Second nature

“Cultural nature”

The highly institutionalized and constantly evolving form of community we call society

Key point:

We need to achieve ‘complementarity’

Challenges to Bookchin’s Social Ecology

1. How strong are the supposedly causal connections between capitalism/hierarchy/domination and environmental degradation/unsustainable policies?

Don’t spiritual and ideological structures play a more of a role than Bookchin realizes?

2. Is this a compelling approach to human interaction with the natural world?

What role should humanity play as we respond to the environmental crisis? …

An involved role?

Should “noninterference” become our guiding principle?

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Suggested exam prep:

Be prepared to define/discuss basic concepts and definitions

Be prepared to answer questions like those on the exam review. (Questions might appear on the exam that are not covered in the review)

Understand and be able to spell out the strengths and weaknesses of our three major ethical theories

Understand and be able to describe arguments from each of the major schools of thought in environmental ethics (anthropocentrism, extensionism, biocentrism, ecocentrism, political ecology)

Be prepared to develop your own argument supporting one or more of the theories we’ve studied

** See the sections on Final Exam Review posted on the webpage