Author: Qi Feng Lin

Publisher:

Published: 2016

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

"One of the factors affecting the long-term prospects of human societies is how the societies conceptualize and interact with the biophysical environment. This conception is grounded in how humans conceive of themselves. Seigel (2005) observed that since the seventeenth century the Western self has been discussed along or within three dimensions: the bodily or material, the relational, and the reflective dimensions. In this thesis, I consider the concept of the self as a locus for change to help us navigate the Anthropocene. The founding of the discipline forestry in the United States around 1900 is an excellent case for studying the concept of the self in relation to the environment. The concept of the self that was implicit in the thinking that led to the founding of forestry provides insights into the relationship between humans and the rest of nature that is implicit in the modern paradigm of natural resource management. The concept of the self in federal forestry practice in the United States from 1905 to 1945 was one that represented stewardship, sovereignty, and order, a response to the preceding wasteful and exploitative practices. Conservation philosophy reflected the modern Western concept of the self, including its individualistic character as well as its dualistic and utilitarian relationship to the environment. Recently, Puettmann, Coates, and Messier (2009) proposed managing forests as complex adaptive systems (Parrott and Lange 2013), which suggests that the traditional concept of the self and the thinking of the management of forests are flawed. New paradigms for conceptualizing the self in forestry are needed. The writings of the American conservationist and wildlife ecologist Aldo Leopold (1887-1948) on the relationship between humans and the environment constitute a milestone in environmental philosophy. Beginning in 1939, Leopold articulated his concepts of "land health" and a "land ethic." Leopold called for humans to consider themselves as members and plain citizens of the biotic community rather than as conquerors. In other words, Leopold espoused a concept of self that was based on aesthetics and ecological values as well as human membership in the land community. The Zhuangzi, a Daoist text that was composed by Zhuangzi (c. 375-300 BCE) and like-minded writers in China during the Warring States period (475-221 BCE), presents a different notion of the self. Since "self" is a highly reified concept in Western thought and Zhuangzi's concept of the person is inseparable from its bodily dimension, it is more fruitful to refer to Zhuangzi's concept as that of the body-person. Zhuangzi's thinking is centred on tian ("the heavenly/natural"), which emerged from dao ("the way"). Specifically, Zhuangzi calls for humans to follow tianli ("heavenly/natural pattern"), the deep patterns of natural processes in the world. However, to do this one must first cultivate one's xin ("heart-mind"), empty it of preferences and worldly concerns such that it becomes mirror-like. In this state of awareness, one is able to respond appropriately and spontaneously to whatever circumstances one encounters. Leopold's concept of the self and Zhuangzi's concept of the body-person provide alternatives to help us rethink forestry practices. Both concepts portray the self or person in which Seigel's three dimensions of the concept of self are linked together by a common principle. For Leopold, it is the ecological worldview, which makes human members of the biotic community. For Zhuangzi, all existents are generated from dao and unfold according to tianli, the heavenly/natural pattern. Directing our human inclinations and consciousness towards these common governing principles is an important major step towards rethinking the concept of self in forestry and addressing our environmental predicament." --