Podcast - Institute for Ecological Civilization
The EcoCiv Podcast
- Episode 1 – John B. Cobb, Jr.: Philosophy, Ecology, and Economy
- Episode 2 – Jeremy Lent: Toward an Ecological Civilization
- Episode 3 – Isabella Alexander: Transnational Migration
- Episode 4 – Karenna Gore: Earth Ethics
- Episode 5 – Mary Evelyn Tucker: Religion and Ecology
- Episode 6 – James Thornton: Client Earth
- Episode 7 – Ven. Pomnyun Sunim: Ecology, Justice, and Buddhism
- Episode 8 – Brian McLaren: Ecology, Capitalism, and Christianity
- Episode 9 – Bread for the World (with Karyn Bigelow)
- Episode 10 – David Korten: “Change the Story, Change the Future”
- Episode 11 – Yael Dennis: “Edible Entanglements”
- Episode 12 – The Sunrise Movement (with Sofie Karasek)
- Episode 13 – Deep Adaptation or Deep Transformation? (with Jeremy Lent and Naresh Giangrande)
- Episode 14 – Africans Rising (with Muhammed Lamin Saidykhan)
- Episode 15 – Catherine Keller: Political Theology and our Planetary Emergency
- Episode 16 – Organic Farming for a “Vetter World”: David Vetter
- Episode 17 – Matthew Segall: Whitehead, Marx, and Ecological Civilization
- Episode 18 – Eileen Crist: Restoring Abundant Earth
- Episode 19 – Manda Brookman: Extinction Rebellion
- Episode 20 – Michael Hogue: ‘Democracy for an Uncertain World’
Moving Toward a New Reality - Institute for Ecological Civilization
Moving Toward a New Reality
Before the rise of city-based cultures, a much smaller population lived in a relatively sustainable way with other animals and the natural world. We have much to learn from this phase of human history. Today’s disastrous treatment of our natural environment expresses a profound alienation from it, one that is both intellectual and spiritual.
The new systems sciences offer compelling data on the consequences of human actions to the ecological systems on which we depend. These sciences unearth the real relations in the natural world, which exists as systems of systems of systems. Organisms continually evolve; complex natural systems self-organize; new kinds of agency emerge; actors and ecosystems are interdependent.
Decades of empirical studies reveal ecosystems to be tapestries in which all the threads are interwoven. Indeed, our fate hangs by a thread; to remove ourselves from the systems of life, and to destroy them, is to destroy ourselves as well. To “seize this alternative” is to call into question the reigning paradigm within which science today is being interpreted: anthropocentrism, binarism, and dualism. Not idealistic thinking but science itself challenges these old paradigms,
An ecological civilization would not need to give up every action that modifies nature, but it would learn to do so in ways that learn from nature and from its ability to create ecosystems that increase in complexity and richness over time. Of all the limitations of the modern worldview with which the natural sciences have so strongly allied themselves, the one with the most immediate relevance to our survival is excluding from scientific explanation of the distinctive characteristics of life. Without understanding the dynamics of living systems, how can one protect them?
Ecological civilization, as represented by the “Seizing an Alternative” movement, is a genuinely new field of study that involves bringing big ideas (philosophies and worldviews) to work in the world through concrete actions and policies. Because it is about civilizational change, the movement touches on all aspects of society. The intersections of theory and practice, global and local, environmental and social, scholarship and activism are among its central features.
Ecological civilization is more than sustainability, but it must be sustainable. It’s more than environmentalism, but it must involve living in harmony with nature. It’s more than a philosophy, but must involve a change in worldview. As a paradigm for living in harmony with one another and the planet, it emphasizes the inevitability of a comprehensive transformation (top to bottom, and all that’s in between) of human civilization.
That isn’t to suggest that modern civilization needs a fire sale, where everything must go. There are aspects of contemporary society that we can and should retain. Nevertheless, the ecological civilization movement is about moving toward a new reality—seizing an alternative. It’s a vision of hope for a better future.
Fixing the Hole in the Boat: The Radical Vision of Ecological Civilization - Institute for Ecological Civilization
Fixing the Hole in the Boat: The Radical Vision of Ecological Civilization
How do boats float? As a child, growing up along the Columbia River, this was something I found particularly puzzling after seeing massive steel ships glide atop the water. I didn’t understand the science behind displacement and buoyancy, but I did know that if your boat takes on too much water you’re going for a swim. Conventional wisdom suggests that if you find yourself in a boat filling with water, you should get rid of the water. Perhaps you’re inspired by Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean, so you grab a bucket to begin throwing water overboard. This does seem to help, but what if you can’t keep up? What if, bucket after bucket, you bail as fast as you can but you’re not making a dent. What if, despite your tireless efforts, despite all the progress you make, it’s not enough to keep you afloat?
This is analogous to the global situation in which we find ourselves. The ice caps are melting, sea levels are rising, and species are going extinct. All of this is compounded by radical economic inequality, systemic social injustices, and the threat of nuclear war. Like bailing water from a sinking boat, it’s necessary to decrease carbon emissions, turn to renewable energy sources, increase education, and reduce income inequality. Yet, like the boat, these efforts don’t seem to be enough to save us. Some say it’s because we’re not making progress fast enough—that we need more people working to reduce waste and emissions. And there is some truth to that. But that is equivalent to enlisting more people with buckets to bail water. We need an alternative method. We need to fix the hole in the boat!
If we don’t address the underlying causes of our world’s most critical problems, long-term success will evade our grasp. Having your boat take on water is a problem, but it is also a symptom of a structural problem with the boat itself. Until we understand and address the source of the problem—the reason our boat is filling with water—no matter how hard we try, our efforts will fall short. Like any illness, simply treating the symptoms without addressing the root cause can be a fatal error.
One way to identify underlying causes is by asking a simple question—“why?” Why do five people possess as much wealth as half of the world’s population? Why is topsoil being eroded? Why are global temperatures rising? By asking “why” we take one step closer to understanding the source of our crisis. Through this process, two things become apparent.
First, is the recognition that our world’s major problems are all interconnected. As Pope Francis notes, “We are faced not with two separate crises, one environmental and the other social, but rather with one complex crisis which is both social and environmental. Strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.” To focus on environmental issues without considering the social, or vice versa, is to fail to grasp the true nature of the crisis. Consider Agenda 2030 (the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals). Each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (zero poverty, zero hunger, good health, quality education, etc.) are presented as separate goals with separate strategies for success. But we can’t adequately solve the hunger problem without addressing poverty and food insecurity. And we can’t address food insecurity and poverty without addressing climate change and economic wellbeing, which can’t be adequately addressed without dealing with our systems of capitalism, unlimited growth, and the values that prioritizes short-term convenience over long-term flourishing of all people and the planet. True, when facing a big problem, it is often helpful to “chunk it,” so as to make it more manageable. But if we fail to recognize the interconnected nature of our most serious problems, our solutions will remain fragmented and inadequate.
Second, is the recognition that the true nature of our crisis is systemic. As such, adequately addressing the underlying causes of our complex problems requires changing the systems—economic, political, educational, agricultural, etc.—at the foundations of our society. The great mistake of dominant thinking about our world’s most urgent problems is that solutions are being framed as possible without radical systems change. Consider the United Nations goal of eradicating poverty (SDG #1). Specifically, the goal is by year 2030 to “eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.90 a day.” But increasing someone’s wages from $1.25 per day to $2 per day doesn’t actually address the underlying cause of poverty produced by an exploitative economic system that proliferates inequality. In fact, most of the targets and indicators behind the goals for sustainable development reveal commitment to civilizational systems that exploit people and nature for profit and power. Similarly, I recently heard a presentation by a member of the Union for Concerned Scientists, who argued that if each nation invested just 1% of its GDP toward adopting new technologies for renewable energy, our climate crisis would be solved. While we should decrease our dependence on fossil fuels, avoid single-use plastics, etc. these efforts don’t seem to address the fundamental underlying issues. We need to change our systems if we want to fix the holes in our civilizational boat.
The call to fundamentally transform our social systems across all sectors, in order to address the root causes of our world’s most critical, complex, and interconnected problems—this is the distinctive mark of the ecological civilization movement.
What is Ecological Civilization?
Ecological civilization refers to forms of human community designed to promote the overall wellbeing of people and the planet. As a form of civilization, it includes the typical features of civilization—systems of agriculture, technology, education, government, economics, etc. The modifier, “ecological,” describes the type of civilization being envisioned—a human community that seeks to live in healthy symbiotic relationship to one another and the nature world. To achieve an ecological civilization would not be to give up modifying nature, but to learn to do so in ways that we can learn from nature and from its success in creating ecosystems that over time increase in complexity and richness. It is a vision for a better future, one in which the systems of society, economics and politics, systems of production, consumption and agriculture, are designed for the flourishing of life in all its forms; a vision for the common good.
As a new paradigm for living in harmony with one another and the planet, the vision of ecological civilization marks a departure from the core values, worldview, and systems of our present civilization. Imagine a world in which the systems of society were grounded in the realization that, as David Korten puts it, “We humans are living beings born of and nurtured by a living Earth.”[1] How would our economic systems be changed if we measured success in terms of overall wellbeing of a living Earth, rather than market activity? How would our agricultural systems be changed if we prioritized the health of the soil and long-term food security rather than “productivity” (measured by produce divided by hours of human labor)?
That isn’t to suggest that modern civilization needs a fire sale, where everything must go; there are aspects of contemporary society that we can and should retain. Nevertheless, the ecological civilization movement is about moving toward a new reality—seizing an alternative. Because it is about civilizational change, the movement touches on all aspects of society. The intersections of theory and practice, global and local, environmental and social, scholarship and activism are among its central features. Ecological civilization is more than sustainability, but it must be sustainable. It’s more than environmentalism, but it must involve living in harmony with nature. It’s more than a philosophy, but it must involve a change in worldview.
Having Hope on a Sinking Ship
The stakes are high. If we fail fix the hole in our civilizational boat, the world as we know it will go the way of the Titanic. Recent reports from the United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as well as the USA’s National Climate Assessment (NCA) provide vast details on the severity and urgency of our global situation. And if that wasn’t enough to overwhelm you, perhaps all this talk of civilization-level change will send you into paralyzing despair. How can any of us make a difference on such a massive scale (global systems), in such a short timeframe (12 years according to IPCC)?
While hopelessness may be our greatest enemy, a well-founded hope may be humanities greatest advantage. Like Captain Jack Sparrow, “Wherever we want to go, we’ll go.” We are in a unique period of human history. For the first time, humanity has the potential to destroy the very capacity for our planet to sustain life. But, it is also the first time we’ve had the ability to create an ecological civilization. There is reason to hope!
I find hope in the realization that we don’t have to tackle each of the world’s most critical problems individually. We don’t need thousands of separate solutions. By making only a few fundamental changes in the right places (fixing the holes in the boat), we can achieve significant lasting results.
I find hope in the realization that I’m not alone. People around the world are rising up, calling for a new paradigm, a new story, and for new systems of civilization—from Pope Francis and the message of Laudato Si’, to the “ecozoic era” of Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, to Vanada Shiva’s “earth democracy,” David Korten’s “great turning,” to the framework of the Earth Charter, and more.
There has never been an ecological civilization before. Therefore, the vision needs to be flexible, since we are discovering for the first time what it requires. As we work backward from the end goal to inform actions in the present, these insights feed back into our understanding of the end goal itself. As it unfolds, the process forces us to look at the truths of our situation: the increased inequality between the rich and the poor, and most of all the impossibility of unlimited growth on a finite planet. The movement toward ecological civilization is a process of creating a new map for a new destination—a destination we might reach if we fix the holes in our boat.
[1]https://davidkorten.org/home/ecological-civilization/
Originally published by Open Horizons at http://www.openhorizons.org/the-radical-vision-of-ecological-civilization-wm-andrew-schwartz.html
By: Wm. Andrew Schwartz
Capitalism vs. Socialism Is a False Choice - Institute for Ecological Civilization
By David Korten
Economic power is-and always has been-the foundation of political power. Those who control the peoples’ means of living rule.
In a democracy, however, each person must have a voice in the control and management of the means of their living. That requires more than a vote expressing a preference for which establishment-vetted candidate will be in power for the next few years.
My previous column, “Confronting the Great American Myth,” distinguished true democracy from government by the wealthy, a plutocracy. Contrary to popular belief, the U.S. Constitution was written by representatives of the new nation’s wealthy class to keep people like themselves in power.
On Jan. 4, the newly elected Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced HR1, the For the People Act of 2019. Its aim is to make voting easier, reduce the influence of big money, and curtail gerrymandering. Even before it was introduced, the champions of having rich people rule were falsely characterizing it as an attack on the freedom of speech of ordinary Americans.
The provisions of HR1 represent an important step in a transition from the plutocracy we have to the democracy most Americans want. Unfortunately, political gridlock assures that HR1 has no chance of becoming law until at least after the 2020 election. Yet the popular yearning for democracy reflected in that bill makes this a propitious moment for a serious conversation about what a true democracy might look like and why it would be a good idea.
We stand at an epic choice point for our nation and for humanity. The plutocracy now in place has put us on a path to self-extinction-a future with no winners, rich or poor. We must now seek a path that restores the health of Earth’s regenerative systems while securing equity, material sufficiency, peace, and spiritual abundance for all-exactly the opposite of the plutocrats’ drive to secure the power, privilege, and material excess for themselves. This makes democracy far more than just a good idea; it is now an imperative.
Photo: Pixabay
The power of plutocracy depends on keeping the people divided against each other along gender, racial, religious, or other fault lines. The goal is to divert our attention from themselves so that they can maintain their power and continue to amass wealth.
Champions of plutocracy would also have us believe that we must choose between two options: capitalism (private ownership and management) or socialism (government ownership and management). They prefer we not notice that in their most familiar forms, both capitalism and socialism feature an undemocratic concentration of control over the means of living in the hands of the few. Democracy is essential for either to work effectively for the benefit of all.
Plutocrats generally favor capitalism, because in the extreme form we now experience, it supports virtually unlimited concentrations of wealth and power. Its practitioners are also drawn by capitalism’s ideological claim that unregulated markets will assure that the presumed benefits of a growing economy will be shared by everyone, and so the rich need not bear any personal responsibility beyond maximizing their personal financial gain.
Photo: Max Pixel
The critical economic and political question for humanity is not whether our means of living will be controlled by corporations or government, but whether control will be concentrated for the benefit of the few or dispersed, with benefits shared by everyone.
Support for the needed economic transition can come from many places. Just as people are not necessarily racist because they are White or misogynistic because they are male, people do not necessarily become plutocrats just because they are rich. Many wealthy people work actively for economic and political democracy and support radical wealth redistribution, including through support of progressive taxation and significant taxing of inherited wealth.
The political and economic democracy we seek cannot be easily characterized as either capitalist or socialist. It is a system of substantially self-reliant local economies composed of locally owned enterprises and community-secured safety nets with responsibilities shared by families, charities, and governments. Such a system facilitates self-organizing to create healthy, happy, and productive communities.
In our complex and interconnected world, this system will require national and global institutions responsive to the people’s will and well-being to support cooperation and sharing among communities, but the real power will be dispersed locally. There would be ample room for competition among local communities to be the most beautiful, healthy, democratic, creative, and generous. There is no place for colonizing the resources of others or for predatory corporations.
Photo: USDA
These communities will most likely feature cooperative and family ownership of businesses. They will also recognize the rights of nature and their shared responsibility to care for the commons and to share its gifts.
The rules of plutocracy evolved over thousands of years. We have far less time to come up with suitable rules for democratic alternatives. That search must quickly become a centerpiece of public discussion.
This article was originally publishedFebruary 9, 2019 in OpEdNews.
Header Photo: Pixabay
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Nature as Measure: The Selected Essays of Wes Jackson by Wes Jackson | Goodreads
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Nature as Measure: The Selected Essays of Wes Jackson
by
Wes Jackson,
Wendell Berry
4.45 · Rating details · 42 ratings · 5 reviews
Wes Jackson can teach us many things about the land, soil, and conservation, but what most resonates is this: The ecosphere is self-regulating, and as often as we attempt to understand it, we are not its builders, and our manuals will often be faulty. The only responsible way to learn the nuances of the land is to study the soil and vegetation in their natural state and pa ...more
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Paperback, 304 pages
Published October 11th 2011 by Counterpoint (first published September 1st 2011)
ISBN
1582437009 (ISBN13: 9781582437002)
Edition Language
English
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May 20, 2019Paul Peters rated it really liked it
Wes Jackson was my college biology teacher and track coach. Then we were drinking buddies at NC State in graduate school. Wes is one of the people who greatly influenced my life and remains a friend. Wes should have been a preacher but his gospel is the ecosystem but greatly influenced by the other one, no doubt. In my opinion he is a better speaker than writer, but that's not to say he isn't a great writer too. Maybe I should say he is a prophet rather than a preacher. He sees what others don't. He makes connections that others miss. No system is too larger or small for his penetrating gaze. These essays are an inspiration. (less)
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Apr 08, 2019Trish Remley rated it really liked it
"What those interested in sustainable agriculture need always to keep before us are these questions: How are we going to run agriculture and culture on sunlight? What are we going to do when the oil is gone? What are we going to do to stop soil erosion? Ecosystem agriculture has answers to all of these questions. Molecular biology has few or none." Said in a nutshell by Wes Jackson, founder of The Land Institute located in Salina, KS since 1978. Introduced to Wes Jackson's ideas by Dr. Clark Gantzer in 1984 while doing soil conservation/soil erosion research. (less)
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Apr 22, 2019Lisa rated it really liked it
An excellent argument for planting more perennials and creating more diversity in our farmlands. Some great points, which I will investigate further.
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Jan 11, 2016Mark rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Wes Jackson has become one of my favorite agricultural writers. His style is lucid and easy to read. His points are clear and he does not mince words. Jackson takes a staunch stance against industrial agriculture and his arguments are strong. In this collection of essays, Jackson rails against what he refers to as “petroleum-based chemical agriculture” claiming that our reliance upon it is unsustainable as well as unethical.
However he reminds us that “no important change in ethics was ever accomplished without an internal change in our intellectual emphasis, loyalties, affections, and convictions.” According to Jackson, to change the suicidal path that we are on as a species we must give up the intellectual emphasis, our loyalty to and love for as well as the conviction that technology will save us from having to change our lifestyle. Jackson’s answer to this belief is an emphatic: it will not.
Jackson not only hits upon scientific, social and cultural attitudes but also on religious influences upon our beliefs that we can persevere without changing how we think about our food and hence the environment we live in. Religion, according to Jackson, “helped us adopt a subject-object dualism. It made it easy for us to regard the environment as inherently alien…”
At the core of the problem is our motivation and basis for happiness: money. Jackson claims, “We have sent our topsoil, our fossil water, our oil, our gas, our coal, and our children into that black hole called the economy.” He calls out our education system for failing societies by offering “only one serious major: upward mobility.”
To all of this, however, Jackson offers clues to change based upon one necessary component: “To live in right relation with [our] natural conditions…”
Nature as Measure cuts through the rhetorical crap of modern day media and so- called scientists and science as well as political dichotomies that make vague clear decisions that need to be made and does so in a refreshingly direct and no-nonsense manner. However, Jackson points out something that Geddy Lee (of Rush) sings so eloquently: the truth is sometimes contrary, something that Jackson does not shy away from.
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Dec 27, 2013David rated it liked it
I enjoyed this collection of essays by Wes Jackson but disagree with him that nature is the ultimate measure of our success in agriculture. I think the "garden" should be our standard and I think his work points to the fact that man can be an improver of raw nature.
Consulting the Genius of the Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture: Wes Jackson: 9781582437804: Amazon.com: Books
Consulting the Genius of the Place: An Ecological Approach to a New Agriculture Paperback – October 4, 2011
by Wes Jackson (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars 8 customer reviews
Locavore leaders such as Alice Waters, Michael Pollan, and Barbara Kingsolver all speak of the need for sweeping changes in how we get our food. Also a longtime leader of this movement is Wes Jackson, who, for decades, has taken it upon himself to speak for the grasses and the land of the prairie, to speak for the soil itself. Here, he offers a manifesto toward a conceptual revolution: Jackson asks us to look to natural ecosystems — or, if one prefers, nature in general — as the measure against which we judge all of our agricultural practices.
Wes Jackson believes the time is right to do away with monocultures, which are vulnerable to national security threats and are partly responsible for the explosion in our healthcare costs. Soil erosion, overgrazing, and the poisons polluting our water and air — all associated with our contemporary form of American agriculture — foretell a population with its physical health and land destroyed.
In this eloquent and timely call to arms, Jackson asks us to look to nature itself to lead us out of the mess we’ve made. We do this by consulting with the natural ecosystems that will tell us, if we listen, what should happen to the future of food. (less)
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Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Counterpoint (October 4, 2011)
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stephanie barnhizer
5.0 out of 5 starsI'd say "genius" applies to the writer, as wellJanuary 6, 2019
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All involved with research and applications discussed in this easy-to-read (and understand) book are experts. There's a history here of American land use and conservation which I find interesting, invaluable, crucial.
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CHARLIE R. MACMILLAN
5.0 out of 5 starsOutstanding book. As a culture we have so much ...October 18, 2015
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Outstanding book. As a culture we have so much to learn about how we have destroyed our precious resource (soil). But Wes Jackson does offer some solutions. A long road, yes, and perhaps possible if we can do away with industrial farming practices. And of course proper caring leadership in the right places. True for most everything wouldn't you say?
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timothy
5.0 out of 5 starsHope for the futureAugust 26, 2017
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Wes Jackson is a leader in describing what has happened to our soil, our agriculture and our food system-- his discussion perennial grain varieties and how that is a hope for our planet is one to be read by all
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Vic
5.0 out of 5 starsConsulting the Genius of the Place:September 21, 2013
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Wes Jackson's research on food production suitable to the water scarce great plains of (Kansas) the "bread basket" of the USA that would not destroy the soil nor deplete the fossil water aquifer necessary to human life there is what earned him a MacArthur "genius grant" and an Atlantic Magazine cover story more than just a few years ago. This book gave me a glimpse of his philosophy and his soul; well worth my time and money.
6 people found this helpful
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Cissy48
5.0 out of 5 starsFive StarsAugust 4, 2015
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Great book.
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Sten
5.0 out of 5 starsThis is a profound, powerful book. The lengthy ...December 2, 2015
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This is a profound, powerful book. The lengthy section on developing perennial grains will not be to everyone's taste, but that's just one section. A must read for anyone thinking about humanity's place in nature.
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R.A.E.
3.0 out of 5 starsWhere are your solutions?January 22, 2014
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This is an easy/enjoyable read, it is not dry or boring. However, Jackson discusses in depth one possible solution to the agricultural problems he presents. I needed more complete and specific suggestions for solutions to today's issues in agriculture.
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JAY BREMYER
5.0 out of 5 starsThis PlaceFebruary 5, 2012
Format: Paperback
I've read many of these essays or heard them delivered, in other contexts, but applaud again and reaffirm how important I believe Wes Jackson is to our chance as a species to make adjustments that will improve our performance as an ecologically benign and perhaps even helpful character in the over all experience of the places on earth where we dwell. Various sections are also filled with sweet biographical material and loving references to his mentors and friends. He's also providing a significant history of the thinking and individuals who lay the groundwork for the Cartesian / Industrial world-frame, agriculture and ultimately agribusiness. as well as those great :thinkers who have re-recognized the essential importance of soil and worked to reverse the industrial view.
p. 244: "A primary purpose of this book has been to argue for the necessity and now the possibility of making the perrenial grains available for agronomists and ecologist to bring the process of the wild to the farm." p. 249: " By starting where our split with nature began, we can build an agriculture more like the ecosystems that shaped us, thereby preserving ecological capital, the stuff of which we are made, and guaranteeing ourselves food for the journey ahead." Like all of Wes Jackson's books, this is one to be read, treasured, and incorporated into how we see the world and act.
19 people found this helpful
ECOCIV KOREA - Institute for Ecological Civilization
ECOCIV KOREA
EcoCiv Korea works with partners in Seoul and around the world to promote a new paradigm for ecological civilization, connecting with scholars, activists, governments, and politicians, in Korea and beyond.
News
Exciting Conference on EcoCiv in Korea
Green Transition: Toward Ecological Civilization in Korea Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 9:00 AM | Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 12:00 PM (PST) Claremont, CA | Claremont Our world is facing an unprecedented threat. If we have any hope of averting the predicted consequences of the climate crisis, we need radical change and we need it now. Making minor…Read More
Two elder scholars asked, “Are you happy?”
By Kumsil Kang, Executive Director of People for Earth, lawyer Two elder scholars from the United States visited Korea to attend the International Conference on Transition Cities hosted by Seoul on November 11, and the International Conference on Ecological Civilization held at Paju from December 12 to 14. They were John B. Cobb, Jr., Professor…Read More
“If Jesus is born now, he would first save the ruined environment”
An interview with international ecological theologian John Cobb By Kim Hwan Young All belief systems, including philosophy, religion, and ideology, continue to change and evolve. The conservative insistence on maintaining the purity of heritage from founders and doctrines often fails to meet the practical need to adjust to worldly changes. But if there is excessive…Read More
Is an Economic System in Harmony with Ecology Possible?
By Han Gui-Young 한겨레경제사회연구원 사회정책센터장 People for Earth Forum “Earth and People” hosts International Conference on Ecological Civilization If the entire world is to maintain Korea’s level of consumption, 3.5 earths will be needed Ecological conversion is no longer a task that cannot be postponed Immediately effective ecological conversion is more cost effective as well…Read More
“Ecological civilization must be realized with an ecological economy and education that serves the Earth”
By Kim Yu-Jin “You may believe that it is too late to avoid the consequences of climate change. But if we discontinue unsustainable practices now and make the correct choices, we can save billions of people.” Urgency emanated from the words of Dr. John Cobb, Professor Emeritus of the Claremont Theological Seminary who is considered…Read More
“Civilization will collapse”… What are the remaining tasks?
Do you remember the terrible heat of last summer?Temperatures that forbade restful sleep because they didn’t drop below 90 degrees? Receiving news of record-breaking temperatures every day, people must have begun to understand the serious nature of climate change. But as the cool breeze returned, those memories faded. How long can such forgetting continue? ‘Is…Read More
Three Ecological Transition Conferences in Korea
By Yunjeong Han, Research Fellow at the Center for Process Studies On the last day of the ‘Ecological Transformation on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia’ conference (October 12-14, 2018), participants walked 6 miles along the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) eco-trail. This green belt runs between South Korea, looking to transition from its industrial economy to…Read More
Paju Declaration
At the conclusion of the International Conference for Ecozoic Culture (October 14, 2018), EcoCiv joined 5 other organizations from China, Korea, and the USA in signing a shared statement on the world’s most urgent problems and a vision toward ecological civilization. See the English and Korean translations below. Paju Declaration Preamble Today, the global-scale ecological…Read More
A Conversation between David Korten and Park Won Soon (Mayor of Seoul)
The following is an abridged and narrated transcription of the conversation between Dr. David Korten and Mayor Park Won Soon, joined by Professor Cotton. Original translation was provided by Audrey Jang. ** ** ** On the morning of October 10th on the 6th floor of Seoul City Hall, Mayor Park Won-soon and Dr. David Korten,…Read More
Exciting Conference on EcoCiv in Korea
Green Transition: Toward Ecological Civilization in Korea Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 9:00 AM | Thursday, November 9, 2017 at 12:00 PM (PST) Claremont, CA | Claremont Our world is facing an unprecedented threat. If we have any hope of averting the predicted consequences of the climate crisis, we need radical change and we need it now. Making minor…Read More
Two elder scholars asked, “Are you happy?”
By Kumsil Kang, Executive Director of People for Earth, lawyer Two elder scholars from the United States visited Korea to attend the International Conference on Transition Cities hosted by Seoul on November 11, and the International Conference on Ecological Civilization held at Paju from December 12 to 14. They were John B. Cobb, Jr., Professor…Read More
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Conferences & Events
International Forum on Ecological Urban Development and Regeneration
October 15, 2018
Korean society has been rapidly urbanized since 1960s. As more than 80% of Korean people are living in urban areas, South Korea is the highest urbanized country in the world. In particular, the four cities in the Northeast that have a long history as a residential area in Seoul have undergone urban decline (86.4% of urban decline exceeding 65.9% of the nation and 79.4% of Seoul average). Therefore, not only The urban regeneration projects that rebuild the citizens’ residential zones have implemented in various places, but also the economy-based urban regeneration project, so called ‘Changdong-Sangye Project’ to develop this area into one of the economic hubs of Metropolitan Seoul. Read More
International Conference on Ecozoic Culture
“Ecological Transformation on the Korean Peninsula and in East Asia”
October 12-14, 2018
Recently, the world witnessed the Korean Peninsula taking a huge first step toward a peace regime. With the inter-Korean summit and the US-North Korea summit that address agendas left from the 20th century, there is already a sense of peace and hope that can be felt on the Korean peninsula. However, right now, far into the 21st century, great shadows loom over our world. The climate change is taking effect all over the globe and we hear of many new diseases every year. These are just a few of the signs that point to the destruction of our global ecosystem amidst wary forecasts of an era of “machine-fused humans” and “genetic manipulation” enabled by artificial intelligence technology. Read More
Civilizational Transition and the Role of the Cities
October 11, 2018
Recently, Seoul citizens are suffering from a record-breaking heat wave and fine dust. The government regards the heat wave as one of the major disasters. Such a drastic climate change is happening all the cities around the world. Not only human dwelling but also habitats of plants and animals are greatly affected by climate change. Moreover, deep-sea fish, which seem to be irrelevant with human activities on earth, are threatened by micro-plastics. Since the Rio Earth Charter in 1992, the world has been engaging in discussions on sustainable growth and developing international agreements. Still, our future does not seem so bright. Besides climate change, human society has many problems of extreme wealth gap, inequality, and violence. Read More
Green Transition Toward Ecological Civilization: A Korea-US Dialogue
November 7-9, 2017
Our world is facing an unprecedented threat. If we have any hope of averting the predicted consequences of the climate crisis, we need radical change and we need it now. Making minor adjustments that maintain the status quo is not enough. Putting green paint on unsustainable practices is not sufficient. We need a “Second Enlightenment,” a new paradigm, a fundamental change of framework on which we can build a more sustainable and just world—an Ecological Civilization. Such radical civilizational change will require collaboration around a shared vision for the future, toward mutual flourishing; bringing together the best in theory and practice across all areas of society. Read More
Our Work
Agenda of sustainable society
increase green energy, industry & agriculture
build social economy, local community
solve unemployment, aging problem
reform competitive, biased education
For sustainable society, Ecological Civilization in Korea is going to
1.Study and introduce Whiteheadian process thought, John Cobb’s process theology and it’s environmental implication. Also, we research modern Korean ecological theories and thoughts.
2.Visit local communities like Pilgrim Place and Uncommon Good, to collect materials to learn from their challenges and successes.
3.Provide policy model of social economy, local community and make educational courses based in ecological civilization philosophy.
4.Cooperate with church and university, local government to support community.
5.Publicize our activities in website, seminars & books.
Ecological Civilization in Korea
Humanity is facing a dreadful threat of current catastrophe. Merely changing social and cultural patterns, which are based on the mechanical understanding of ecology and civilization, will not be enough; nothing less than civilizational paradigm change is necessary if humanity is to avert the predicted consequences in the near future. Even though we seem to be aware of the approaching crisis, we are hesitant to think and act differently because we feel that we are not ready to radically change or we do not know where to go.
Each sector of society must be analyzed for its potential contribution. EcoCivKorea seeks to lay the groundwork for civilizational change in Korea. That requires clarifying the problems that have led us to the brink of catastrophe, engaging in research on possible alternatives, advocating practical long-term solutions, and supporting the implementation of changes on both large and small scales.
EcoCivKorea seeks to promote the Ecological Civilization which is related to the common good by means of the relational approach found in process thought. Process thought is based on the work of philosophers Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Hartshorne, and John B. Cobb, three contemporary examples of a long standing philosophical tradition that emphasizes becoming and change over static being.
Process thought is a philosophical system that describes the world in fundamentally relational terms. According to process thought, every unit of reality is in an ongoing process of change, and everything that occurs is a confluence of one’s inherited past, contextual possibilities and individual agency.
Thus Process thought helps to harmonize moral, aesthetic, and religious intuitions with scientific insights. EcoCivKorea follows the great thought in Process philosophers to develop and enhance the discussion between Eastern and Western religious and cultural traditions, especially in Western societies and Korea. Process thought offers an approach to the social, political, and economic order that brings issues of human justice together with a concern for ecology and sustainability. Our wide range of interests includes multicultural, feminist, ecological, inter-religious, political, and economic concerns. Our ultimate vision, what we hope to achieve, is to research and advocate the policies required for an ecological civilization in Korea.
인류는 현재 가까운 미래에 다가올 환경적인 위협에 직면하고 있습니다. 이것을 해결하는데 생태와 문명의 기계적인 이해에 근거한 사회적, 문화적 패턴을 바꾸는 것만으로는 충분하지 않습니다. 가까운 미래 우리가 직면하게 될 환경적 대참사를 피하기 위해서는 인류의 문명 패러다임의 변화가 필요합니다. 우리가 다가오고있는 위기를 인식하고있는 것처럼 보이지만 근본적으로 변화 할 준비가되어 있지 않거나 어디로 가야할지 모르기 때문에 우리는 생각이나 행동에 주저하고 있습니다.
EcoCivKorea는 한국의 생태학적 문명으로 변화를 위한 토대를 마련하는 것을 목표로하고 있습니다. 그러기 위해서는 우리의 문명이 재앙의 위기에 이미 이르렀다는 문제의식을 명확히하고, 가능한 대안의 연구에 매진하고 장기적이고 실용적인 해결책을 찾기위해 노력해야 합니다. 이를 위해서는 거시적이고도 미시적인 실행 대책이 필요합니다.
EcoCivKorea는 프로세스적 사고(Process Thoughts)에서 발견되는 관계적 접근 방식을 통해 공동의 이익과 관련된 생태 문명을 촉진하는 것을 목표로하고있습니다.프로세스적 사고의 개념은 철학자 Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Hartshorne, John B. Cobb의 연구에 기초하고 있습니다. 이 세명의 현대적인 연구자들이 서 있는 철학적 전통은 ‘변함의 과정’과 변하지 않는 존재가 아닌 변해가는 존재에 강조점을 두고 있습니다.
프로세스적 사고는 근본적인 관계성으로 세계를 설명하는 철학적 시스템입니다. 프로세스의 사상에 의하면, 현실의 모든 개체는 진행중인 변화의 과정에 있습니다. 모든 발생하는 사건들은 한 시점에서 그 이전의 과거로부터 받은 기본적인 현실적 요소들과, 문맥적으로 어울리는 가능성들과 개별 행위자들의 선택의 조화합니다.
따라서 프로세스적 사고은 도덕적, 심미적 종교적 직관과 과학적 통찰력을 조화시키는 데 도움이됩니다. EcoCivKorea은 동아시아와 서양의 종교, 문화적 전통, 특히 서구 사회와 한국에서의 논의를 연결하고 발전시키기 위해 프로세스 철학자들의 생각을 따릅니다. 프로세스적 사고는 인간의 정의의 문제와 생태적 지속 가능성에 대한 우려를 가지고 사회적, 정치적, 경제적 질서에 대한 철학적이고도 현실적인 접근을 제공합니다. 우리는 다문화, 페미니즘, 생태, 종교간의 대화, 정치적, 경제적 문제들에 다양한 관심이 있습니다. 우리의 궁극적인 비전은 한국적 생태문명에 필요한 정책을 연구하고 그것을 옹호하는 것입니다.
people
Dongwoo Lee
Co-Director of Ecological Civilization in Korea Project at Center for Process Studies, Claremont School of Theology. Pastor of US Presbyterian Church.
Keunhwa Jung
Research Fellow of Ecological Civilization in Korea Project at Center for Process Studies, Claremont School of Theology. Economics Professor of Hanshin University, Korea.
Yunjeong Han
Research Fellow of Ecological Civilization in Korea Project at Center for Process Studies, Claremont School of Theology. Ph. D of Comparative Literature. Journalist.
Kiho Park
Photographer. Photojournalist. Lecturer of Yonsei University, Korea.
What Are People For?: Essays - Kindle edition by Wendell Berry. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.
What Are People For?: Essays Second Edition, Kindle Edition
by Wendell Berry (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 55 customer reviews
Ranging from America’s insatiable consumerism and household economies to literary subjects and America’s attitude toward waste, here Berry gracefully navigates from one topic to the next. He speaks candidly about the ills plaguing America and the growing gap between people and the land. Despite the somber nature of these essays, Berry’s voice and prose provide an underlying sense of faith and hope. He frames his reflections with poetic responsibility, standing up as a firm believer in the power of the human race not only to fix its past mistakes but to build a future that will provide a better life for all.
ISBN-13: 978-1582434872
File Size: 557 KB
Print Length: 225 pages
Biography
Wendell E. Berry (born August 5, 1934) is an American novelist, poet, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer. A prolific author, he has written many novels, short stories, poems, and essays. He is an elected member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers, a recipient of The National Humanities Medal, and the Jefferson Lecturer for 2012. He is also a 2013 Fellow of The American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Berry was named the recipient of the 2013 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award. On January 28, 2015, he became the first living writer to be ushered into the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame.
Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Guy Mendes (Guy Mendes) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
55 customer reviews
4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5 stars
5 star 76%
4 star 16%
3 star 4%
2 star 2%
1 star 2%
Showing 1-8 of 55 reviews
Top Reviews
Lori R. Dowell
5.0 out of 5 starsmy favorite being Hannah CoulterNovember 11, 2015
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I have read several of Wendell Berry's novels, my favorite being Hannah Coulter, but have never read his essays before. His message in Hannah Coulter is similar to his message in this book, which is for us to think about the meaning of our lives, exactly as the title says. What is important to us and what should be important to us? This is an excellent book that I recommend to everyone. I will be buying several copies of this book for my friends for Christmas and Birthday gifts.
7 people found this helpful
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Kyle Gardner
5.0 out of 5 starsEssential Reading!March 14, 2014
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Wendell Berry is a national treasure. His contributions are monumental. This collection of essays is especially worthy of reading again and again – insightful brilliance throughout! I especially enjoyed his essay about Ed Abbey (who we lost 25 years ago today) and the piece entitled “Nature as Measure.” There is no better indictment of industrial agriculture and the cultural mindset which seeks only profit.
Only Berry could say this: “There is no sense and no sanity in objecting to the desecration of the flag while tolerating and justifying and encouraging as a daily business the desecration of the country for which it stands.” And that was 1989!
If you’re a fan of Wendell Berry you know and you nod in agreement. Now, can we spread the word? Berry’s wisdom, which is rooted in the land and his experience working the land, is critical for retaking the moral and political high ground from the corporate destroyers of the land. People are becoming aware and are willing to speak out. Can this tip the balance favorably?
We couldn’t do it without Wendell Berry!
Kyle Gardner, author, Momentary Threshold
5 people found this helpful
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Jim Wilder
5.0 out of 5 stars"This successful life we're livin' got us feuding ..."March 7, 2009
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This book inspired me to believe individuals and community can mutually enhance each other, and that God intended for us to enjoy our time on Earth much more than we generally do. It's full of inspiring quotes, e.g. "The more coherent one becomes within oneself as a creature, the more fully one enters into the communion of all creatures." The author is a philosopher, and his unique voice of exhortation is not overly preachy.
Mr. Berry touches on many far-ranging topics of quotidian life: the real values of education; the merits of decentralized control; the inherent biases toward, and the effects of, centralized control; the idea that language and writing should involve all senses; the concept that the future is faith based on all that we do now. The author delves into the most fundamental human motivations, and why we should be stewards of the Earth.
This book was a joy to read, and in these times of economic crisis it left me inspired that we can adapt and improve, and I feel sustained warm thoughts for the author. It was the first work of his I've read, and I'm eager to read more of his nonfiction and novels.
14 people found this helpful
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markfav
5.0 out of 5 starsBerry's insightful prose casts a light on our nature.December 15, 2014
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Wendell Berry's essays are far ranging and diverse in topic, but unified by his curiosity about the human condition. These are essays and reviews that you can read over and over, and likely will, because they resonate with an inner longing of the reader. Berry has a way of persuading the reader, not just telling him, about something of import - taking him from unaware to deeply affected. A very worthwhile read.
4 people found this helpful
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Andrew M. Gordon
4.0 out of 5 starsin the American grainJune 1, 2014
Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
I first read Wendell Berry's novel Hannah Coulter. These reviews and essays explain the philosophy and ecology behind the fiction. While not as entertaining as a novel, his prose is very well crafted and a pleasure to read. Berry sometiems comes across as cranky, old-fashioned, or a Luddite (technophobe), but he is in the American grain of Thoreau. He emphasizes the values of community and loving the land and stresses all we have lost in the modern world.
4 people found this helpful
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JC_
5.0 out of 5 starsAs good as it getsMarch 19, 2014
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I gave this book a 5-star rating not because I agree with everything Berry has to say about economics or conservation. The 5-star rating comes from Berry's mastery of the English language. Even if you disagree with everything Berry has to say you will love his style.
Here is a sample: “Rats and roaches live by competition under the laws of supply and demand; it is the privilege of human beings to live under the laws of justice and mercy.”
Beautiful.
6 people found this helpful
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JAY BREMYER
5.0 out of 5 starsWendell Berry Is a TreasureNovember 14, 2015
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I've been reading Wendell Berry for 55 years, many of the books several times, and never come away less than moved, informed, and inspired.
5 people found this helpful
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Joel Patrick Senkar
5.0 out of 5 starsEven though the essays were written many years ago, ...May 21, 2016
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Even though the essays were written many years ago, "What Are People For?" is a thought provoking read that I wish had been introduced to me earlier. Take the time to at least think about the messages contained within.
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