Indigenous worldviews and Western worldviews stand in stark contrast to each other in many ways, including their perspectives regarding the Earth and her resources. Typically the differences between these two philosophies of life are highlighted and placed into an antagonistic relationship that seems irreconcilable. This paper upholds that within…

This paper develops and explores "lehae-la-rona" and its potential value in environment and sustainability discourse. It draws on African-centred concepts and critiques of dominant Eurocentric theoretical frameworks. In particular, Ani's concepts of "asili," "utamawazo" and "utamaroho" and Indigenous knowledge theory are applied to appreciate the…

Epistemologies, ontologies, and education based on colonial Eurocentric assumptions have made animism difficult to explicitly explore, acknowledge, and embody in environmental research. Boundaries between humans and the "natural world," including other animals, are continually reproduced through a culture that privileges rationality and the…

Across Canada, many Aboriginal peoples and communities are actively resisting environmental destruction and communicating to settler-Canadians traditions of respect for the land. Moreover, some Indigenous scholars and educators are calling for a foregrounding of Indigenous ways of knowing in environmental education for all students. However,…

This paper argues that the current ecological crisis arises from our dualistic consciousness which separates mind from body and self from world. This dualistic consciousness prevents us from experiencing the value in nature, and therefore leads to instrumentalist treatment of nature. We explore the Buddhist practice of mindfulness to help…

The question posed by the "Canadian Journal of Environmental Education" volume 11, "where is the place for religion in environmental education?" is rephrased in this essay to become, "where is the place for a religious view of the order of nature in environmental education?" Relying on the writings of Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a proponent of the…

Deep ecology arises from the personal intuition that one's self is part of the world's environmental wholeness. This awareness may be constructed upon scientific foundations but it is more commonly thought a spiritual concept. Deep ecology pedagogy emerges from its three-step process of ecological Self-realization. This paper traces the roots of…

Catholics increasingly appear to agree with the most passionate defenders of the environment. The ecological problem for Catholics is essentially moral: it comes down to respecting the value of life and the beauty of the cosmos, practicing meekness, and controlling one's desire for dominion. This point was stressed a great deal by John Paul II,…

In addressing the theme of ethics as an everyday activity, this essay makes a case for the primacy of preventive ethics over interventional ethics. Preventive ethics aims at creating a condition of viability and wellbeing for all members of the earth community, an ethical ideal that follows from the thesis that all life-phenomena are…

This paper is a collage of voices and ideas that attempts to move us away from an understanding of philosophy as argument and counterargument toward an ecosystemic, or wild, conception of philosophy as story in the mode of comedy. (Contains 4 notes.)

Ecophilosophers suggest that the achievement of environmental sustainability requires a transformation in worldview, from a modern to an ecological worldview. This suggestion poses a very interesting challenge for researchers in environmental disciplines. What would research look like that is grounded in an ecological worldview? What would it mean…

Addresses higher education, specifically universities, and their role in moving toward a sustainable, ecologically-sound, and vibrant society. Suggests that universities are caught between two competing visions. (Contains 24 references.) (DDR)

Employs a dialogical style to explore the interface between Arne Naess's views about deep ecology and education. Themes examined include the educational implications of the 'deep' questioning process and other formulations of environmental thought. (DDR)

Explains Arne Naess's approach to understanding contemporary grassroots movements, especially the long-range deep ecology movement. Stresses respect and appreciation for all forms of diversity, including personal, cultural, and ecological. (Contains 26 references.) (DDR)