Transforming human life on our home planet, perennially

Wes Jackson, Aubrey Streit Krug, Bill Vitek, Robert Jensen

The Ecological Citizen Vol 2 No 1 2018: 43–6

Share via browser: | |

ACCESS PDF OF ARTICLE

First published: 1 July 2018 | PERMANENT URL | DOWNLOAD CITATION IN RIS FORMAT

Abstract

The development of agriculture is one of the key fault lines in human history, the starting point for the human project of dominating the planet. As the catastrophic consequences of that domination become undeniable, an ecospheric framework that recognizes the problem of agriculture should be at the centre of an analysis and critique of the ecological and social failures of the industrial worldview that shapes today's world. Ecosphere Studies, a new education programme being developed out of the perennial vision of The Land Institute, offers such a framework. By 'driving knowledge out of its categories' and adopting an 'ignorance-based worldview', scholars, teachers and activists can collaborate in experimental and experiential workshops that aim to create a perennial culture, challenging the short-term, unsustainable vision of the dominant culture, especially in affluent societies such as the US.

Keywords

Agriculture, Anthropocentrism, Human-nature dualism, Societal change, Sustainability