The basic premise of deep ecology is that all plants and animals
have intrinsic value, whether recognized by humans or not. An
action is judged as proper if it maintains the beauty and sustainability
of the natural environment. A true community is a harmonious relationship
of all living beings and natural forces that make up a region
of the planet.
In his novel, Ishmael (New York, Bantam, 1995), Daniel
Quinn explains the evolution of present day attitudes toward the
relationship between cultures and the Earth. Mankind is seen as
having split, some 10,000 years ago with the advent of agriculture,
into two groups -- the civilized 'Takers' and the primitive 'Leavers.'
The Takers place 'man over nature,' the Leavers place 'man in
nature.' Most societies today are Takers which accounts for the
disruptions among cultural groups and between man and the environment.
According to Quinn, the Taker attitude is entrenched in a 'mother
culture' myth that is unconsciously accepted and enacted. The
first part of the myth is that we view the birth of man as the
central event in the history of the cosmos. Takers place mankind
as the culmination, the end product of the fundamental creative
processes of the universe, the point of evolution. Since the world
was incomplete without man, a jungle, it needed man to put it
in order. "The world was made for man, and man was made to
rule it." (pg. 72)
But, the world would not submit meekly to human rule. It produced
storm, flood, famine and disease. Other animals were stronger,
or more numerous, and stole things away from man. So, before he
could rule, man had to conquer -- the deserts with irrigation,
the rivers with dams and levees, the insects and plants with chemicals,
annoying animals with extinction, the oceans, the atom, space
and on and on. The Takers also had to do away with the Leavers,
the more 'primitive' cultures. Man, in fulfilling his destiny,
is "enacting a story that casts mankind as the enemy of the
world." (pg. 75)
The fact that things are not working out to be a paradise under
man's rule can be attributed to the fact that the Takers have
ignored the basic law of nature that cannot be broken if a species
is to survive. The Takers exterminate their competitors; systematically
destroy their competitors' food to make room for their own; and
deny their competitors access to food. The law "defines the
limits of competition in the community of life. You may compete
to the full extent of your capabilities, but you may not hunt
down your competitors or destroy their food or deny them access
to food. In other words, you may compete but you may not wage
war." (pg. 129)
The end result of mankind exempting itself from this law is that
we end up with a community in which diversity is progressively
destroyed in order to support the expansion of a single species.
Everything in the world except our food, and food of our food,
becomes an enemy to be exterminated. Constantly expanding the
food supply leads to constantly increasing population that puts
more pressure on the need for food, a vicious cycle that can't
be broken until all the resources are gone, and death, the penalty
for breaking the law of limited competition, occurs. (pg. 132-133)
The Leaver myth is quite different. It places man in nature and
does not view the world as having been made for any one species.
Their story is that "the gods made man for the world, the
same way they made salmon and sparrows and rabbits for the world;
this seems to have worked pretty well so far, so we can take it
easy and leave the running of the world to the gods." (pg.
241) The Leavers live as they live, and are willing to let others
live their lives as they see fit. They appreciate diversity and
recognize that there is no 'one right way' to live on the earth,
providing the law of limited competition is not broken.
Which brings us back to deep ecology. The knowledge of what works
well for things or production is valued in Taker culture. The
knowledge of what works well for people is valued in Leaver culture.
Taking and living as if man is separate from and the pinnacle
of the rest of creation is a deadly course. Only through humility
and respect for other creatures, other people, and the processes
of the earth can survival and continued evolution be given a chance.
Hence the need to recognize and act as if all living things have
material and spiritual rights.