Uniting Ecology and Civilization: Histories, Theories, Futures
Workshop
27.05.2022 – 29.05.2022
Date: 27–29 May 2022
Conveners: Christof Mauch, Sophia Kalantzakos, Mingfang Xia, Shen Hou, Donald Worster
Location: NYU Athens
Sponsors: NYU Athens, eARThumanities NYU Abu Dhabi, the Rachel Carson Center, Munich, and the Center for Ecological History, Renmin University, Beijing
In the 1970s, a German philosopher coined the phrase “ecological civilization,” which has now become popular in many parts of the world. How might the humanities help us achieve that vision in the future, and what ideals should modern societies adopt in relation to the natural world? Can the science of ecology offer guidance to philosophy, governance, economics, technology, or the design arts? We also hope to address how the ancient cultural ideal of “dominion over nature” has informed past civilizations and what might be its relevance in the so-called Anthropocene. Another cultural ideal we want to consider is "sustainability"—its shifting meaning, promise, and application. And then there is the ideal we might call “recovering the wild,” as it was enunciated by Henry David Thoreau among others, meaning to infuse civilization with a love of wild, unmanaged nature. Can that ideal help civilizations address the loss of biodiversity and the destruction of such natural ecosystems as the rainforest and coral reefs?
Downloads
- Conference Program (187 KByte)