Integral Ecology
Reconciling the Boundaries of Humans and Nature
At the Gaian Institute, we view Integral Ecology from the perspective advanced by the French philosopher Felix Guattari. In this conception, Integral Ecology is an emerging metadiscipline concerned with understanding complex phenomena comprised of the interconnected domains of environment, human subjectivity and cultural relations.
The term "integral" suggests that ecology is relevant to the full range of human knowledge and action. At the same time, it suggests that ecology must draw from the whole spectrum of human inquiry, including scientific, cultural and personal perspectives. Hence, integral ecology cultivates intuition, sensory perception and ethics as well as rational thought as away of understanding human interactions with the natural world.
Our approach to Integral Ecology draws from integral (holistic) thinking, systems thinking, complexity theory and participatory research. The main points holding this approach together are (1) the recognition that the world is an undivided whole consisting of a multiplicity of self-ordering patterns of activity in relationships to each other, and (2) that as observers, we humans are personally involved with the creation of our own reality; our beliefs, perceptions and attitudes about the world determines our relationship with the world.
Therefore, the context for action and the subsequent critical reflection on the consequences of those actions need to involve the human actor’s relationship with the natural environment, its cultural setting and history, institutional arrangements, and an understanding of the constraints and possibilities set by the actor’s cognitive process.
Recommended reading:
Abram, D. (1996). The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-than-Human World. Vintage Books
Guattari, F. (2001). The Three Ecologies. Athlone Press
Gunderson, L. and Holling, C. S. eds. (2002). Panarchy: Understanding Transformations in Human and Natural Systems. Island Press
Steffen, W., Sanderson, A., Tyson, P.D., et al. (2004). Global Change and the Earth System: A Planet Under Pressure. Springer-Verlag