Non-Western Environmental Philosophy Reading Group
- kclmapforthegap
- Sep 26, 2022
- 3 min read
In September 2022, KCL MAP hosted a reading group on non-Western environmental ethics and eco-philosophy. Our aim was to better understand the different perspectives on nature and the environment found in different cultures around the world in order to improve suggestions on how to tackle climate change, pollution and global warming.
“Some claim that many of the contemporary views in Environmental Ethics are peculiarly Western -- that is, grounded in views, and social and economic contexts particular to Western industrialized countries. Of particular concern to many non-Western thinkers are the substantive claims made by various environmentalists regarding restrictions on further development and on human use of various natural areas in less developed countries. Many preservationist claims have the direct implication of significant economic losses for local peoples. This, in itself, is not the relevant problem as preservationist claims very nearly always have this implication. However, in less developed countries, people are typically not in a position to be able to afford such economic losses; controlling development or preserving certain areas may well make it impossible for local people to survive in that area. In short, some observe that environmentalism is a feature of already affluent societies, i.e., societies that already have high degrees of environmental exploitation.
Connected with this idea, along with the recognition that someone has to pay (i.e., be burdened in some way) for conservation or preservation actions, comes a further point. People in less developed countries (and the poorer people in developed countries) end up paying disproportionately. Standard ideas of marginal utility show this; closing off from exploitation pieces of the environment has little effect on the affluent, who already have what they need to live comfortable lives. But it has a much greater effect on the poor who need to exploit the environment to satisfy basic survival needs, and would need to increase exploitation to increase standard of living.
A second issue arises with respect to non-Western perspectives on Environmental Ethics. As we have seen, some (e.g., White) claim that the attitudes we possess that have led to the so-called environmental crisis have their origins in Western cultural ideas and principles. Given this, some claim that non-Western cultures have special belief or attitude sets that set them apart from Western cultures. That is, non-Western cultures -- or at least some of them -- are inherently 'environmentally friendly.” (https://learn.saylor.org/mod/page/view.php?id=8100 )
Author: Michael Fleming is a British historian and professor at the Polish University Abroad in London. Fleming graduated from the University of London and obtained his DPhil from the University of Oxford. He has held teaching positions at Jesus College, Oxford, Pembroke College, Oxford, the Academy of Humanities and Economics, Łódź, and the University of Warwick. He was a visiting researcher in Warsaw at the Institute of History, Polish Academy of Sciences, and in Pułtusk at the Pułtusk Academy of Humanities.
The following blog posts will be a summary of the readings that we did and the discussions that we had surrounding their content: both what we thought about the readings and also how what they said could be applied to the current stage of climate action in terms of pollution and global warming. During the reading group we considered these questions:
What are those “special beliefs” that differentiate non-Western eco-philosophies from Western eco-philosophy? How do different cultures perceive Nature, and could it be a starting point to a behavioural reform in the West? How should we see Nature - whilst also respecting our different perspectives? What could this lead to? How is our Western view on a "fundamental economic reform" damaging to less economically-developed countries (LEDCs)? How can we stop climate change whilst also taking into consideration LEDCs that are not in the position to afford such economic loss? What could be a starting point to finding solutions to this crisis/dilemma between preservation and development? Would it be a global or local reform? How should we distinguish philosophical views from religious ones? How do these traditions engage discussions of identity, autonomy, and post-colonialism? And most importantly: Is our Western world looking at the environmental problem all wrong?
These readings and discussions are of course by no means comprehensive of the varied philosophy and cultures from around the world, but were intended as a shallow dive to broaden our understanding of the different perspectives and movements around the world. Below is a list of any and all relevant texts that may be of interest, but as you will see we only focussed on a few each day.
1. Native American Philosophy
Recommended readings:
Indigenizing Philosophy through the Land: On the Nature of the Concept by Brian Yazzie Burkhart
Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence by Gregory Cajete. Pg 64-83.
Critical Investigations of Resilience: A Brief Introduction to Indigenous Environmental Studies & Sciences by Kyle Whyte
Additional readings:
Dennis McPherson and J. Douglas Rabb, “Values, Land, and the Integrity of the Person: Cross-Cultural Considerations,” (book)
“What Coyote and Thales Can Teach Us: An Outline of American Indian Epistemology,” in American Indian Thought, pp. 15-26
2. African Philosophy
Recommended readings:
Towards an African eco-philosophy by Dr. Anthony Uzochukwu and others
Some Characteristics of African Environmental Ethics by Dr. Anthony Uzochukwu and Dr. Jude Onebunne
African eco-philosophy: cosmology, consciousness, and the environment (Introduction; Chapter 7: Between environmental conservation and development: An African perspective; and Chapter 8: The moral implications of climate change) by Ikechukwu Anthony KANU
An African Perspective on the Environmental Crisis by Segun Ogungbemi
Reconsidering Reparations by Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò (Chapter 5)
Additional readings:
Book: African eco-philosophy: cosmology, consciousness, and the environment by Ikechukwu Anthony KANU
Book: African Philosophy and Environmental Conservation by Jonathan Chimakonam
3. Latin American and South Asian philosophies
Recommended readings:
Latin American Environmental Thinking: A Heritage of Knowledge for Sustainability by Enrique Leff
Satyagraha for Conservation: Awakening the Spirit of Hinduism by O. P. Dwivedi
Radical Environmentalism and Wilderness preservation: A Third World Critique by Ramachandra Guha (p.71-83 of the Volume 11, Issue 1, of the journal Environmental Ethics)
4. East Asian and Middle-Eastern Philosophies
Recommended readings:
Ecophilosophy in Modern East Asia: The Case of Hansalim in South Korea by Michael S. Pak and Jeehyun Kim
The Buddhist Attitude Towards Nature by Lily De Silva
Islamic Environmental Ethics, Law, and Society by Mawil Y. Izzi Deen
5. Blomfield and others
Recommended readings:
Islamic Education, eco-ethics and community by Najma Mohamed
Environmental Ethics in Islam: Principles and Perspectives by Mohd Yaseen Gada
Blomfield M (2019) Introduction: Global Justice and Climate Change, Global Justice, Natural Resources, and Climate Change (pp. 3-26). Oxford University Press
Blomfield M (2019) Conclusion: Natural Resource Justice and Climate Change, Global Justice, Natural Resources, and Climate Change (pp. 220-226). Oxford University Press
Blomfield M (2016) Historical Use of the Climate Sink. Res Publica, 22(1), 67-81
Eco-Philosophy: Designing New Tactics for Living by Henryk Skolimowski
Read about Henryk Skolimowski’s ideas in Native Science: Natural Laws of Interdependence by Gregory Cajete (p. 60-63)
Additional readings:
Blomfield M (2019) Against Equal Division of Natural Resources, Global Justice, Natural Resources, and Climate Change (pp. 62-86). Oxford University Press
Blomfield M (2019) Sharing the Global Emissions Budget, Global Justice, Natural Resources, and Climate Change (pp. 27-42). Oxford University Press
Blomfield M (2019) The Significance of Historical Injustice Concerning Natural Resources, Global Justice, Natural Resources, and Climate Change (pp. 193-219). Oxford University Press
Blomfield M (2019) Global Justice and Natural Resources, Global Justice, Natural Resources, and Climate Change (pp. 45-61). Oxford University Press
Blomfield M (2013) Global Common Resources and the Just Distribution of Emission Shares*. Journal of Political Philosophy, 21(3), 283-304.
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