December 6, 2015 - 12:30
In the anthropogenic age, it has become vital for mankind to protect the environment. C.E. Bowers who wrote "Steps to the Recovery of Ecological Intelligence", Bruno Latour who wrote "Agency at the Time of the Anthropocene", Van Jones, the thinker behind "Greening the Ghetto", Jenny Cameron, Stephen Healy, and J.K. Gibson-Graham who co-write Take Back the Economy and Paulo Freire who wrote "The Importance of the Act of Reading" all explicate their thoughts on environmental protection. In an effort to collect the most outstanding concepts in these readings, ecological intelligence can be redefined. Ultimately, it means to learn to prioritize the environment realistically and morally.
In Bowers' essay, he determines that society has prioritized economic efficiency and corporate authority. The content of his writing is informative and progressive; Bowers fully dissects the manner in which humans act without ecological intelligence-how this is impossible to do with differing priorities. "Losses force more people to be dependent upon consumerism at a time when automation, outsourcing and downsizing by corporations in search of greater profits make it increasingly difficult to earn the money necessary for meeting basic needs" (44). Bowers argues that humans have recently been conditioned to choose between survival or ecological intelligence. In effect, a disconnect occurs among mankind and the environment. "Ecological intelligence has been further undermined as the idea of the autonomous individual became accepted as the basis of our political and social justice system- and now as the source of ideas and values" (46). We have been stripped of our "awareness of contexts, relationships, interdependencies, and the concepts of human behaviors that ripple through both cultural and environmental ecologies" (46). Yet, must the choice between human survival and ecological survival be mutually exclusive? Bowers aspires to rid society of technologies that induce individual thinking and separate language. However, as Latour writes, "There is no distant place anymore" (2). We cannot separate our history from our future; humans must prioritize the safety of our surroundings but we cannot eliminate or discredit the many benefits technologies and individual thinking bring. Jones contends we must approach ecological intelligence with realistic solutions.
Jones suggests a practical approach to obtaining ecological intelligence in an interview with Elizabeth Kolbert. With his method, "Greening the Ghetto", Jones focuses on correcting global warming and poverty. His "goal is to broaden the appeal of the environmental movement and, at the same time, bring jobs to poor neighborhoods" (2). Jones uses his expertise to engender solutions to multiple issues at a time. Moreover, the expert does not discredit technology or individual thinking, but rather utilizes his individual thinking to inspire government policy, economic possibility, and environmental intelligence. With his modern, realistic solution, Jones actively promotes ecological intelligence. "Since Pelosi's meeting, the notion of green jobs has become a commonplace. Not only did it keep coming up in last year's campaign but it has been embraced by a growing number of unions, by the heads of many major corporations, and by an ever-expanding list of politicians" (11). To better encourage ecological intelligence, experts must offer solutions in the most realistic, efficient manner. In the book Take Back the Economy, the authors also offer resolutions to economic issues. "In a community economy, we are interested in stepping back from the hype about markets and thinking about how we encounter others in the process of surviving well together on this earth" (89). Furthermore, the writers include a vital aspect. "Ethics should not be erased from the market" (89). Ecological intelligence must not exclude morally sound action.
In addition to ethics, ecological intelligence incorporates proper education. Bowers presents as a main idea in his essay, "How to revitalize the cultural commons, as well as understanding how they are being undermined, need to become part of the curricula of public schools and universities" (44). Humans do not currently understand the extent to which we are deteriorating our planet and the species among it. We need to be educated. Bowers' idea is also supported and further developed in Freire's essay. Freire expounds his individual method of teaching- stressing the "importance of the act of reading and writing" (8). Specifically, Freire explains that "only by learning the significance could they know how to memorize it, to fix it" (8). This belief should apply to our education in achieving ecological intelligence. Only by understanding the significance of our milieu, can we truly appreciate all that it offers and genuinely succeed at protecting it.
Ecological intelligence is not a simple concept that can be defined by one person, yet it is so vital to possess within our society. Mankind must both recognize and appreciate all that the environment is. By learning to prioritize our surrounding environment realistically and morally, we will maintain a future.
Works Cited
Bruno Latour. Agency at the Time of the Anthropocene. New Literary History 45, 1 (Winter 2014): 1-18.
C.E. Bowers, Steps to the Recovery of Ecological Intelligence." OMETECA 43: 14-15.
Elizabeth Kolbert, Greening the Ghetto: Can a Remedy Serve for both Global Warming and Poverty? The New Yorker (January 12, 2009).
Jenny Cameron, Stephen Healy, and J.K. Gibson-Graham. Chapter 4: "Take Back the Market: Encountering Others." Take Back the Economy: An Ethical Guide to Transforming our Communities (University of Minnesota, 2013. 85-123).
Paulo Freire, The Importance of the Act of Reading. Trans. Loretta Slover. Brazilian Congress of Reading, Campinas, Brazil. November 1981. Rpt. Journal of Education 165, 1 (Winter 1983): 5-11.