Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2004 17:45:54 -0600 (CST) From: =?iso-8859-1?q?eduardo=20enriquez?= <eduardofenriquez-AT-yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [postanarchism] Zimmerman: "Introduction to Deep Ecology" Alan: So social ecologists see things like homelessness as being caused by the same mechanisms that cause rainforest devastation? Michael: Also racism, sexism, third world exploitation, mistreatment of other marginalized groups - they're all phenomena on the same spectrum. By supposedly not recognizing the social roots of the environmental crisis, deep ecologists invite themselves to be accused of nature mysticism. Social ecologists say we need to change our social structure, and that the elimination of authoritarianism and hierarchy in human society will end the environmental crisis. Deep ecologists say there's no certainty that would happen. Again, you can imagine a case where social hierarchy is eliminated and yet the new egalitarian society dominates nature just as badly. The problem is that anthropocentrism can take on different forms. INDEED THAT DID HAPPEN IN THE USSR, YET THE IMPORTANT PART OF THE CRITICISM THAT SOCIAL ECOLOGY (BOOKCHIN) MAKES IS THAT DEEP ECOLOGY TENDS TO IGNORE ANALYSIS AND EXPLANATION OF THE SOCIAL SYSTEM WHICH IS CLEAR THAT IT IS ORGANIZED BASICLLY AGAINTS LIFE AND ECOSYSTEMS IN GENERAL IN A BASIC WAY. DEEP ECOLOGY TENDS TO STAY INSIDE PHILOSOPHICAL-SPIRITUALIST TERRAINS. NOW OF COURSE IT DOESNT MEAN THAT ONE CANNOT FIND ANYTHING OF VALUE IN DEEP ECOLOGY. ITS JUST THAT IT IS BETTER TO GO ELSEWHERE WHEN ONE WANTS TO LOOK FOR A SYSTEMIC SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS. BUT NOW OF COURSE THERES THE ISSUE OF A TENDENCY WHITHIN DEEP ECOLOGY OF EMBRACING A CERTAIN RATHER NASTY NEO-MALTHUSIANISM WHICH WILL INDEED SEE SOMETHING LIKE PLAGUES LIKE AIDS AND HUNGER AS WAYS NATURE HAS IN ORDER TO CONTROL ITSELF. INDEED IF ONE IS TO REMAIN CENTERED IN "NATURE" SO ONE WILL TEND TO FORGET TOO MUCH OF HUMANS. BUT BACK TO THE POINT OF THE NEED OF A NEW WAY OF RELATING OURSELVES WITH NATURE AT LARGE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULDNT DO ANYTHING ELSE BUT TO SUPPORT. BUT WHAT DEEP ECOLOGISTS WOULD MOST LIKELY NOT POINT OUT TO IS THAT THIS IS A CULTURAL PROBLEM MEANING A WAY OF BEHAVING AND RELATING OURSELVES TO OTHERS AND TO NATURE ITSELF AND THAT INDEED NESESARELY WILL LEAD TO ENGAGING WITH ANALYSIS WITH HOW THE SOCIAL SYSTEM WORKS AND HOW IT CONDITIONS SUBJECT TO SPECIFIC BEHAVIORS. IN ORDER FOR THE "PHILOSOPHY" THAT HUMANS HAVE THAT IS ECODESTRUCTIVE TO CHANGE ONE HAS TO NESSESARELY ADRESS THE NEED FOR THE SOCIAL SYSTEM TO CHANGE SIGNIFICANTLY. THERE WASNT A HUMAN MADE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS AS BAD AS TODAY AND DEFINITELY IF SUCH EXISTED THEY WOULDNT SIGNIFICANTLY COMPARE TO THOSE OF TODAY. CHRISTIANITY MOST LIKELY IS NOT GOING TO BE OF TOO MUCH LOVE FOR DEEP ECOLOGISTS YET IT WAS THE RULING "PHILOSOPHY" DURING A PREVIOUS SOCIAL SYSTEM WHICH WAS MUCH MORE CLOSE TO NATURE AND MUCH LESS ECODESTRUCTIVE, FEUDALISM. CHRISTIANITY IS MUCH ON THE WAY OUT AND NOW "THE DEATH OF GOD" IS A REALITY. PHILOSOPHIES ARE CONNECTED WITH SOCIAL PRACTICES IN INSEPARABLE INTERACTION. LETS GO BACK TO HOW THE EGALITARIANISM DOESNT MEAN NESSESARELY ENDING DESTRUCTION OF NATURE. IN ECO-SOCIALIST, ECO-MARXIST AND ECO-ANARCHIST DISCOURSE THAT IVE READ, IVE NEVER SEEN ANYONE BLAMING THE ECOLOGICAL CRISIS ON "INEGALITARIANISM". THESE POINT TO THE COMBINATION OF SUCH CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND REALITIES SUCH AS PRIVATE PROPERTY, ACCUMULATION, COMMODITY STRCUTURE, BUREACRATIC POWER, CONSUMERISM, ETC AS THE CAUSE OF THE CURRENT ECOLOGICAL CRISIS. THE CURRENT ANTI-NATURE PHILOSOPHY IS A CAUSE ONE CAN SAY YET ALL OF THESE CANNOT BE SEPARATED. BUT IF INDEED ONE NEEDS AN ECOLOGICAL REASON OF WHY TO OPPOSE SUCH GROOS INEQUALITIES SUCH AS THOSE OF TODAY ONE HAS TO POINT OUT TO HIGH CORPORATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AS DECIDING SUCH CATASTROPHES AS SAY bHOPAL IN INDIA WHICH KILLED LIKE 10000 PEOPLE. _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Información de Estados Unidos y América Latina, en Yahoo! Noticias. Visítanos en http://noticias.espanol.yahoo.com
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