1. Left
biocentrism
is a left focus or theoretical tendency within the
deep ecology movement, which is
subversive
of the existing industrial
society. It accepts and promotes the
eight-point Deep Ecology Platform
drawn up by Arne Naess and George
Sessions. Left biocentrism holds up
as an ideal, identification,
solidarity,
and compassion with all life. "Left"
as used in left biocentrism, means
anti-industrial and anti-capitalist, but
not necessarily socialist. The
expressions
'left biocentrism' or 'left
ecocentrism' are used
interchangeably.
2. Left
biocentrism
accepts the view that the Earth belongs to no one.
While raising a number of
criticisms,
left biocentrism is meant to
strengthen, not undermine, the deep
ecology movement which identifies
with all life.
3. Left
biocentrism
says that individuals must take responsibility for
their actions and be socially
accountable.
Part of being individually
responsible is to practice voluntary
simplicity, so as to minimize one's
own impact upon the Earth.
4. Left
biocentrists
are concerned with social justice and class issues,
but within a context of ecology. To
move to a deep ecology world, the
human species must be mobilized, and
a concern for social justice is a
necessary part of this mobilization.
Left biocentrism is for the
redistribution of wealth, nationally
and internationally.
5. Left
biocentrism
opposes economic growth and consumerism.
Human societies must live within
ecological
limits so that all other
species may continue to flourish.
We believe that bioregionalism,
not globalism, is necessary for
sustainability.
The perspective of the
late German Green philosopher Rudolf
Bahro is accepted that, for
world-wide sustainability,
industrialized
countries need to reduce
their impact upon the Earth to about
one tenth of what it is at the
present time. It is also incumbent
upon non-industrialized nations to
become sustainable and it is
necessary
for industrialized nations to
help on this path.
6. Left
biocentrism
holds that individual and collective spiritual
transformation is important to bring
about major social change, and to
break with industrial society. We
need inward transformation, so that
the interests of all species
override
the short-term self-interest of the
individual, the family, the
community,
and the nation.
7. Left
biocentrism
believes that deep ecology must be applied to
actual environmental issues and
struggles,
no matter how socially
sensitive, e.g. population
reduction,
aboriginal issues, workers'
struggles, etc.
8. Social
ecology,
eco-feminism and eco-marxism, while raising
important questions, are all
human-centered
and consider human-to-
human relations within society to
be more important and, in the final
analysis, determine society's
relationship
to the natural world. Left
biocentrism believes that an
egalitarian,
non-sexist, non-discriminating
society, a highly desirable goal,
can still be exploitive towards the Earth.
9. Left
biocentrists
are "movement greens" in basic orientation. They
are critical of existing Green
political
parties, which have come to an
accommodation with industrial
society
and have no accountability to the
deep ecology movement.
10. To be
politically
relevant, deep ecology needs to incorporate the
perspective advanced by left
biocentrism.
The above Primer
is a result of a protracted collective discussion among a
number of those who
support left biocentrism and deep ecology.
Students in the universities and fellow green and environmental
activists can learn more about
about left biocentrism through a
book entitled Ecological Ethics:
An Introduction by Patrick Curry.
The
revised and expanded second edition is a 332-page volume,
discussing concepts, gradations and
of
ecological ethics, with a very good section on left biocentrism. The
first edition of the book was
endorsed by Paul
Watson, who said: "This book is a brilliant introduction to the ethical
basis of the
ecology
movement. It is a handbook for survival - for ourselves and for our
planet."
Ecological
Ethics: An Introduction, Second Edition
by Patrick
Curry
332 pages
Polity Press,
2011
Available in
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-7456-5126-2
Or Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-7456-5125-5
There
is an internet discussion group called "left bio" - a group about
socially-conscious ecocentric philosophy. The philosophical basis of
unity
is a general agreement with the above Left Biocentrism Primer. (This is
a
general agreement, meaning one can have reservations about particular
points or wordings.)
E-mail: greenweb@tncwireless.ca