Signposts to a western worldview of environmental beliefs. A look at what guides western thinking about the ecological crisis.

1. OEEDU5001 Concepts in
Outdoor Education
Week six
Environmentally toxic belief systems

3. OEE could help us look back at
our society from a different
perspective
(removed from society - allows for reflection)

4. Signposts to a western
worldview?
The ecological crisis is fundamentally
caused by
“environmentally toxic belief
systems”

5. Toxic = belief that does not
support or affirm life
Many authors contributed…
Summarise 5 cultural beliefs
and 4 corollaries (associated beliefs)

6. Toxic belief #1
The belief in progress

7. The belief in the ideal of progress.
That progress is inevitable, unidirectional, and upward.
Therefore progress will lead to social
improvement
Toxic belief #1 - The belief in progress

8. Described as the main obstacle to
re-creating human communities
that are truly sustainable.
But what is Progress?
Progress ought mean getting nearer to the place
you want to be…
Where or what is that? In terms of community,
environment and your role/relationship with both?
Toxic belief #1 - The belief in progress

9. Cultural myths
Progress and development = increased
control and complex technology.
Success = accumulation of wealth and
possessions.
The health of a society = its rate of
economic growth.
Freedom = the ability to choose in the
marketplace.
Toxic belief #1 - The belief in progress

10. Toxic belief #2
The importance of the individual

11. The ideology of individualism
Emphasis on self-realisation at the
expense of the community (OE??)
Everyone can succeed if they try hard
enough. (Cultural myth #2)
Therefore undermines any sense of
an interdependent biotic community
Toxic belief #2 - The importance of the individual

12. Toxic belief #3
Anthropocentrism

13. Views the world from the perspective of
human interests
‘the Environment’ = not us!
Therefore possible to separate humans
from the environment
Descartes dualism – (16th C) a mechanistic model of
nature yielded context free, value free knowledge of the external world.
The human species is different from everything else on earth… the only
being processing a mind.
Toxic belief #3 - Anthropocentrism

14. Toxic belief #4
Faith in rationalism

15. The idea that reason, deductive
intellectual processes, are the basis of
all truth... Intuition?
The belief that if we have all the facts we
will make good decisions and problems
will be solved
Toxic belief #4 - Faith in rationalism

16. Therefore views nature as a resource
for our use, and Science will solve
our problems.
But, most ecological challenges are, at
least in part, value/moral issues.
Toxic belief #4 - Faith in rationalism

17. Toxic belief #5
The devaluing of tacit
knowledge

18. Western society focuses on
objective, scientific ways of knowing.
But we know that tacit ways of knowing are
a major avenue for building relationships.
The same is true of relationships with
nature.
Toxic belief #5 - The devaluing of tacit knowledge

19. Corollary = Devaluing of
caring
• Feminine traits are devalued in general
(e.g., feelings, intuitive thinking)
• Therefore we resolve enviro conflicts on
the principle of justice (logic and
rationality) rather than caring (emotion and
intuition).

20. Corollary = Devaluing of the
spiritual or sacred
• Mainstream culture struggles with spiritual
or sacred knowing – especially of nature
• Indigenous cultures are quite opposite
• Sacredness of nature is problematic?

21. Corollary = Lack of relationship
with non-human nature
• Rare for people to have relationships with
nature today. (outdoor rec? Gardening?)
• Lack of positive experiences in natural,
non-urbanised environment. (80% of Aust
live in cities over 100,000 in population.)
• leaves less opportunity for caring for
environment?
• Scandinavian early schooling

22. Corollary = Sense of inertia
and powerlessness
• Our education systems are passive (and
reproductive of the dominant social order?
See ideology of education)
• Critical thinking for environmentalism is
not taught in mainstream education.
• People feel powerless to make a
difference (problem of scale)
• Bioregionalism.

23. How does outdoor education
practice support or
clash/challenge the dominant
social paradigm?

24. Practices that
support
Practices that
challenge
What do we take for
granted as good to
include in OE trips that
may work against the
understanding that we
are seeking in students?
What are some of the
things that people look
at and think you’re silly
doing?

25. Dominant paradigm?

26. Practices that
support
Practices that
challenge
• Consumption of high tech
gear…and as a way to
resolve human nature risks
• Development of the
individual – self
actualisation.
• Promotion of leadership
over membership
• Dominance of nature’s
challenges
• Language? “worthless rock,
poor snow etc”
• Risk for no immediate gain
• Rejection of comfort?
• Selecting technology?
• Promotion of group
outcomes/community values
• Valuing of non-human
species
• Looking back?
• Cyclical time valued?
• Alternate ways of knowing?
Affective valued

27. References
• Brookes, A. (1994). Reading between the lines: Outdoor
experience as environmental “text.” Leisure Today
(Journal or Physical Education, Recreation and Dance),
v.65(8), 28-33,39.
• Chenery, M. (1994, July). Looking back from the Bush: A
view of eco-ethical thinking from the perspective of
Australian outdoor education. Paper presented at ART-
Seminar on Eco-ethical thinking in a cross-cultural
perspective. University of the Saarland, Germany