Sixteenth International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities

Abstract

To understand human beings as “special” and “superior” beings because we are situated at the top of an ontological hierarchy is a Western model that is deeply problematic for those concerned about the environment and the future direction of the world. Humans have within us a self-contradiction - we have learned to think of ourselves as separate from the natural world - although we are of this natural world. Humans are indeed unique beings. Rather than superior beings, however, humans are unique beings with the freedom to engage in the ethical task of careful listening, of respectful speaking, and of preserving the natural world through responsive thought and action. Our essential task is to come to our senses by recovering and affirming our ethical role within the natural world. Sources considered in developing this paper include E. F. Schumacher, Martin Heidegger, Hannah Arendt, and Max Oelschlaeger.