The Ideology of Environmental Domination Lecture Part 1 SOC165 Spring 2010 [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 2 This Week’s Topic •Switch focus from the material to the ideal • •The ideology of environmental domination • •Why do individuals behave in ways that hurt the environment? Why does society organize activity that harms the environment? • •One answer: Because of ideologies of environmental domination – the belief that humans are entitled to use nature [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 3 This Week’s Lecture 1.Religious History 2.Individualism 3.Patriarchy 4.HEP-NEP in Environmental Sociology OilTankerBarentsSea Limburg%20Oil%20Tanker%20Fire oil-cleanup-cormorant oil_platform_rig_hibernia [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 4 This Week’s Required Materials •Required reading: • •Bell: Chapter 6 Required video: • The 11th Hour • A Rocha: Why should Christians care for creation? Cover Image blue_film_roll [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 5 In Part 1 •Religious History JanHusStatue 498px_jan_hus_1415 StFrancisofAssisi [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 6 Importance of Ideology •Bell: Themes of religion, individualism and patriarchy show how social inequality and hierarchy influence the way we think about the environment old_town_square_tyn_church 20083373 25283485 vincentKabulwomen [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 7 Importance of Ideology •Ways of thinking determine what we see as: •Valuable resources •Proper or improper treatment of people and things •The proper distribution of wealth and power •Beautiful nature •Things worth protecting or not protecting • [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 8 Sociology and Religion •Max Weber • •Calvinism à protestant ethic and spirit of capitalism •Historical sociology: The modern world developed in part as a result of religious beliefs and practices • • [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 9 Critique of Judeo-Christian Religion •Lynn White • •1967: “The historical roots of our ecological crisis” •Christianity inherited anthropocentric view of nature from Judaism LynnWhite Lynn White 1907-1987 [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 10 •Genesis 1:26, 28 •And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. •And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Emphasis added) [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 11 Lynn White (1967) •Historical analysis of: Religion, science, economic development, technology •Western rationality and curiosity led to invention of powerful technology •When combined with ideology of domination of nature, Western science has caused environmental problems [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 12 Critique of Lynn White •Is this interpretation of history of Christianity and Western civilization accurate? march Christian ideology + Technology + Science = Ecological problems [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 13 Critique of White •Is it possible to generalize? amish supper stclare pope_john_paul theotokos 4478 image?id=91424&rendTypeId=4 20001210jbrelig99 Celtic%20Cross_1 [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 14 The Church and Science in History •The Church opposed science as heretical –Galileo –Copernicus – •The Church supported science as revealing God’s nature –Isaac Newton –Gregor Mendel copernicus Galileo newton mendel1 [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 15 Alternatives Within Religion •Today, some evangelicals in US support stewardship of resources as human responsibility • •Video by “A Rocha” says Christianity can interpret the Bible in a green way, but this view is often ignored [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 16 End of Part 1. H2_UseIndex Image of Bumper Sticker Continue to Part 2. [USEMAP] Ideology of Domination ● Part 1 17 Citations Used in This Lecture •Bell, M.M. 2004. An Invitation to Environmental Sociology. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Pine Forge Press. • •White, Lynn. 1967. “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis.” Science 155: 1203-1207.