There are many different ways to look at the world. Those ways, which
are called worldviews (not to be confused with religions), help us to cope with
reality and direct our actions. Reality however can not be reduced to those
worldviews.
Capitalism, Growth, Progress, Development, Modernity,
Globalization are part of a cultural (and political) narrative we call Civilization
and that is too often presented as the unique horizon of intelligibility and
understanding of world history and the only successful model of social
organization. In shaping our thoughts, ideas, values, attitudes, behaviors, it
unfortunately distract us from what we really are and often tends to exclude and
demonize other ways of looking at the world and societies.
In the middle of the
1970s, I joined a group of people who considered that Civilization was rapidly leading the
world in overshoot. We had nothing against Civilization itself. What was
putting us in great distress was the arrogance of political and religious
minorities who were selling the world a package deal that was already obsolete
- and often imposing it by force.
In search of a new paradigm that could shatter the myths of
Civilization, we adopted the concept of
Sylvilization, which eventually revealed
itself to be a powerful tool for disruptive innovation in times of political,
philosophical and metaphysical stagnation. It inspired our lives and helped us
direct our actions in other ways.
Earth’s finitude requires a code of conduct. Man's impact on the planet
is threatening the biosphere, our life support system, at an unsustainable
rate. To handle it, we have two choices. One is to drastically reduce the
world’s population – which is ethically unacceptable, especially if handled by
governments and corporations. The other one is to radically cut our ecological
footprint or our impact on natural resources.
Technical solutions for an ecological transition exist. The problem is
that most of them are still based ultimately on the same consumption-oriented
and capitalistic values and methods that are leading the planet to the abyss.
Their application and diffusion might be a necessary step, but would be
meaningless without a change in values and attitudes towards people and nature.
The question then arises as to what concept or paradigm may be able to
temper the modern obsession with growth. This is where the concept of
Sylvilization, and the people who still belong to it, may have a role to play.
In his book "Forests: The Shadow of Civilization" published
in the 1990s, Robert Pogue Harrison not only explored the role of forests in
Western thought. He also made a point by saying: "Forests were first. Underlying ecological concerns about their
loss, there lays a much deeper apprehension about the disappearance of
boundaries, without which the human abode loses its grounding. Forests were
long the home of humanity until Civilization started to tempt people to live in
self-exile, estranged from the human primal bond with the natural world."
(1)
Today's crisis will likely set the stage for a rethinking of the
relevance of nature and nature-based knowledge. In the end, we are all part of
it. Eighty percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity is located on
indigenous and tribal territories. I am sure that, if we are able to reconsider
the assumptions on which modernity -and Civilization - is built, the forests
and forest peoples can help us get prepared. The main issue is how to open and
build a dialogue with them.
As an ideal and concept, Sylvilization has the potential to put anyone
of us in touch with what to be guardian of the biosphere means. Of course,
taken alone, Civilization and Sylvilization reveal nothing but a fugitive
specter of the oneness and plurality of Reality - that is bigger than us.
In the 1990s, the Institut Interculturel de Montreal published a
special edition of its quarterly "Interculture" titled "Ecosophy& Sylvilization". Have a
read and come back to migmoes.net@gmail.com with your comments. We would love
to hear from you.
Welcome to the bush!
(1) Forests: The Shadow of Civilization, by Robert Pogue Harrison.
University of Chicago Press 1992.
There are many different ways to look at the world. Those ways, which
are called worldviews (not to be confused with religions), help us to cope with
reality and direct our actions. Reality however can not be reduced to those
worldviews.
Capitalism, Growth, Progress, Development, Modernity,
Globalization are part of a cultural (and political) narrative we call Civilization
and that is too often presented as the unique horizon of intelligibility and
understanding of world history and the only successful model of social
organization. In shaping our thoughts, ideas, values, attitudes, behaviors, it
unfortunately distract us from what we really are and often tends to exclude and
demonize other ways of looking at the world and societies.
In the middle of the
1970s, I joined a group of people who considered that Civilization was rapidly leading the
world in overshoot. We had nothing against Civilization itself. What was
putting us in great distress was the arrogance of political and religious
minorities who were selling the world a package deal that was already obsolete
- and often imposing it by force.
In search of a new paradigm that could shatter the myths of
Civilization, we adopted the concept of
Sylvilization, which eventually revealed
itself to be a powerful tool for disruptive innovation in times of political,
philosophical and metaphysical stagnation. It inspired our lives and helped us
direct our actions in other ways.
Earth’s finitude requires a code of conduct. Man's impact on the planet
is threatening the biosphere, our life support system, at an unsustainable
rate. To handle it, we have two choices. One is to drastically reduce the
world’s population – which is ethically unacceptable, especially if handled by
governments and corporations. The other one is to radically cut our ecological
footprint or our impact on natural resources.
Technical solutions for an ecological transition exist. The problem is
that most of them are still based ultimately on the same consumption-oriented
and capitalistic values and methods that are leading the planet to the abyss.
Their application and diffusion might be a necessary step, but would be
meaningless without a change in values and attitudes towards people and nature.
The question then arises as to what concept or paradigm may be able to
temper the modern obsession with growth. This is where the concept of
Sylvilization, and the people who still belong to it, may have a role to play.
In his book "Forests: The Shadow of Civilization" published
in the 1990s, Robert Pogue Harrison not only explored the role of forests in
Western thought. He also made a point by saying: "Forests were first. Underlying ecological concerns about their
loss, there lays a much deeper apprehension about the disappearance of
boundaries, without which the human abode loses its grounding. Forests were
long the home of humanity until Civilization started to tempt people to live in
self-exile, estranged from the human primal bond with the natural world."
(1)
Today's crisis will likely set the stage for a rethinking of the
relevance of nature and nature-based knowledge. In the end, we are all part of
it. Eighty percent of the world’s remaining biodiversity is located on
indigenous and tribal territories. I am sure that, if we are able to reconsider
the assumptions on which modernity -and Civilization - is built, the forests
and forest peoples can help us get prepared. The main issue is how to open and
build a dialogue with them.
As an ideal and concept, Sylvilization has the potential to put anyone
of us in touch with what to be guardian of the biosphere means. Of course,
taken alone, Civilization and Sylvilization reveal nothing but a fugitive
specter of the oneness and plurality of Reality - that is bigger than us.
In the 1990s, the Institut Interculturel de Montreal published a
special edition of its quarterly "Interculture" titled "Ecosophy& Sylvilization". Have a
read and come back to migmoes.net@gmail.com with your comments. We would love
to hear from you.
Welcome to the bush!
(1) Forests: The Shadow of Civilization, by Robert Pogue Harrison.
University of Chicago Press 1992.
