#7: Anthropocentrism
Today I want to talk to you about anthropocentrism.
Anthropocentrism is the philosophical viewpoint that human beings are the world's most significant entities. A foundational and often unconscious belief in many Western cultures and societies, anthropocentrism posits that humans are the most important entities on the planet and that other plants, animals, and objects are important insofar as they support human survival or pleasure.
Derived from a combination of the Greek anthrōpos (human being) and kéntron (center), this belief has caused an environmental crisis. Last week, New York was covered in a cloud of wildfire smoke, leaving residents unable to breathe. Amid this awakening, some residents continued to ignore masking recommendations, even as the Department of Health recommended people, regardless of health status, wear masks to reduce exposure to toxins. Something has gone amiss!
Today, I'll explain the story of anthropocentrism and show how we can shift our planetary narrative from separation to interbeing.
Understanding How Small We Are
Where Anthropocentrism Comes From
Many ethicists find the roots of anthropocentrism in the Judeo-Christian Creation story. While studying religion in university, I read the Book of Genesis at least a handful of times, and I see where the ethicists are coming from. In this book, humans are said to have been created in "the image of God" and given the authority to "subdue" the Earth and "have dominion" over all living creatures. Many people interpreted this as a license to dominate and oppress, and it became a convenient narrative for Western colonialism and unfettered capitalism. Still, I suggest that it's not the story itself but how it was interpreted that led to the ravages we see today.
First, let's talk about the Divine. When G-d is understood as a separate being, which even Christian doctrine opposes throughout the New Testament, we set a precedent for a story of separation. Second, the root word of dominion, derived from the Latin dominus (lord), is domus (house), a term for stewardship and care. When we tend to a place as though it is our home or domicile, we are one with it. We know where things are and how they work. The twisting of this original phrase, domus, to dominus, placed the archetypal masculine "above" the feminine. And so partnership - where the archetypal masculine and feminine worked side by side - disappeared, and a patriarchal thought system began.
Similarly, when humans are viewed as "separate from" or "superior to" nature, and plants, animals, minerals, and other entities are merely resources, we get the results we see today. We drive plant and animal species toward extinction, approve oil drilling ventures like the Willow project, and go so far beyond healthy ideas of liberty and rambunctiousness that we think it's normal to drive super-sized gas guzzlers and pollute our skies, spaces, and soundscapes in the name of freedom. The world is out of balance—and anyone who's seen Avatar: The Last Airbender recognizes what happens when various energies aren't harmonized. When we oppress the feminine or the masculine, it's only a matter of time before nature reacts.
Rebalancing Masculine + Feminine Energy
Increasingly, the pressures on humanity will mount to move our species from separation toward interbeing as a mode of operation. Humans once thought that everything in our solar system revolved around us until we discovered that the Earth, while unique for its ability to host so many life forms, was simply one of the many planets orbiting our sun. Anthropocentrism is like the new geocentrism. Many people still believe the world revolves around them when in reality, they are simply a human on the planet, in existence with everything else. This is one of the toughest psychic patternings that environmental activists face as we deal with the climate crisis, which many say is the greatest moral challenge of our generation.
So how do we transform that thought? One way is learning to recognize and balance the masculine and feminine both within and without. In the spirit of reclaiming domus as a form of stewardship and responsibility that embodies responsibility and care, I like what Marianne Williamson says about understanding the Earth as our home:
"My mother was absolutely right that it is a woman's job to take care of the children. My mother was absolutely right that it's a woman's job to take care of the home. It's just that we have evolved, and must evolve, to the realization that that means that every one of the children on the Earth is our children and the Earth itself is our home." (5:40-6:07)
The Takeaway
The problem with anthropocentrism is its inherent imbalance. It ignores natural law and fails to recognize a holistic cosmology where, like day and night, order and chaos must both exist. The archetypal masculine and feminine must have balance to create healthy evolution rather than imbalance, oppression, or regression, which we see today in our culture. A decolonial or ecofeminist approach helps right the scales and create a harmony that patriarchal traditionalism and modern neoliberalism fail to attain. After all, they were not set up for planetary balance, nor will they be sufficient to achieve our new goals of restoring harmony with the planet.
So how do we move toward interbeing and enter a new paradigm of understanding? There's a lot of awareness and boldness required:
For the resistant individual, the willingness to investigate one's trauma, fear, and patterns
For the caring individual, the ability to challenge masculine overreach through power and grace
For all individuals, the awareness to balance active and receptive approaches
For everyone, the ability to move from operating in silos to systems
Don't be afraid to challenge the old order. And know that we have much more coming soon on how. (For a head start on evolution and global systems, check out our Woman Warrior course.)
That's all for now! Did anything stand out, or is there a topic you're itching to learn more about? If so, I'd love to hear from you. Otherwise, see you in the next issue.
Cheers,
Rayner
