Ecological Consciousness – The Seed of Environmental Justice – Henryk Skolimowski’s Perspectives
Dr.R.Murali
Head
Department of Philosophy
The Madura College (Autonomous)
Madurai-625011, Tamil Nadu
This paper brings out the salient features of Henryk Skolimowski’s notion of ecological consciousness. It throws light on the need for the development of the new consciousness known as ecological consciousness, which promises to solve the fundamental environmental problems of the modern society.
According to Skolimowski, the consciousness is not a shapeless cloud that encompasses humankind from time immemorial but rather that in various epochs of human history it takes distinctive forms, modes or structures. Human consciousness, as it functions within cultures, is highly structured or finely tuned. We do not have of consciousness as such, but rather we live and function within specific modes of consciousness. These modes are culture bound on one level, and species bound on another level.
In the Western World, religious consciousness was dominant some 800 years ago. This consciousness was wedded to Christian cosmology guided by religious consciousness. People were adjusted to the universe, which was overlooked and steered by god. Their daily affairs were regulated by the awareness of the omnipresence of God, and by the presence of his representatives- the clergy.
Then, emerged the secularism. Secularism emerged as a new umbrella under which a new consciousness had been crystallised. This secular consciousness is articulated in time in the form of technological consciousness.
Humanism of the Renaissance was the first step toward the new non- religious consciousness. Man began to be deemed as the measure of all things. Humanism meant the reassertion of the individual, thus of the ego. When ego is overgrown human arrogance emerges.
According to Skolimowski, the next; in the development of consciousness is the technological consciousness. The combined efforts of Bacon, Galileo and Descartes resulted in a new cosmological matrix, a new worldview that conceives of the universe as clock-like mechanism.
The cosmological matrix requires that all phenomena to be recognised as valid – must be physical in nature or reducible to physical ones. The important relationships about these physical phenomena should be expressed in quantitative laws. Thus, the physical
phenomena should be expressed in quantitative laws.
Thus the physical and the qualitative are enshrined. Overtime Skolimowski says that this led to:
- the worship of objective knowledge
- the increasing quantification of all phenomena
- the narrowing of the focus of our vision and our inquiry
- the elimination of the sacred.
A further consequence is the growing process of alienation – a direct result of the process of atomisation and qualification, as we split everything into separate atom, larger wholes are disintegrated we no longer have the sense of wholeness, But rather sense of isolation, separation, detachment in brief-alienation.
Another consequence of the mechanistic approach to the cosmos is growing workshop of physical power. It is at this stage that mechanistic cosmology becomes absorbed by the entire culture. It then comes to dominate the minds: leads to the emergence of a distinctive from of consciousness, which is called as technological consciousness by Skolimowski. At this stage of history, technology is so all pervading that it is a form consciousness. When we interact with the world via technology, we never think how to be benign and compassionate and loving, but always how to be efficient, controlling, and assertive. When we view the overall structure of the technological consciousness, it reveals itself to be:
1.Objectivity 2.Atomoising 3.Alienating 4. Power dominating 5. De-sacralizing and 6.Geared to the eschatology of consumption.
Eschatology is the subject, which concerns itself with the ultimate ends and goals of human life. In the absence far reaching transcendental goals, while religious and spiritual values have collapsed, consumption has become an imperative of our life, an overall goal. Consumption has become a form of salvation, an eschatology.
Consuming new toys, new cars, new televisions, and new computers is not dangerous in itself. What is dangerous, and unhealthy to our psychic lives, is when this process of consumption becomes a kind of religious urge promising happiness, fulfillment, and salvation. At this point technology becomes a form of eschatology.
In the 21st century, Skolimowski views that the technological consciousness appears increasingly as a menace with it ruthless efficiency, its uncontrolled increasing power, and its lack of any compassionate accounting. It produces too many diseases of its own. And the price for comfort and other amenities is simply not worth paying. Technology is a story of success which has been so stupendous that it has become over nightmare. We thus seek to re-establish a new – balance, and in the process we attempt to balance our own lives.
Skolimowski says that the religious consciousness was the thesis, technological consciousness was the anti-thesis and the ecological consciousness is the synthesis as it marks a return to the spiritual without submitting to religious orthodoxies and the religious dogma; and as it seeks social amelioration and justice for all without worshipping physical power and without celebrating the aggressive nature of the human person. The ecological consciousness has not been arrived and fully articulated. It is essential to create ecological consciousness.
The Rise of the Ecological Consciousness:
All modes of consciousness are rooted in the history and have a character. Thus consciousness was the ecology movement on the one hand, and various schools of humanistic psychology, on the other hand. Both movements professed a new type of wholistic rationality. Mainly six characteristics could be identified as the nature of ecological consciousness. They are:
Ecological consciousness Technological consciousness
Wholistic Vs Atmosphere
Qualitative Vs Quantitative
Spiritual Vs Secular
Reverential Vs Objective
Evolutionary Vs Mechanistic
Participatory Vs Alienating
No one can doubt that the healthy and complete human person is a micro universe which is a wholistic and qualitative.
Reverential understanding or attitude is not new creation of ecological consciousness. Most of them have existed in traditional culture and religions for a long time.
Science provides us with an unambiguous evidence of consistently and legitimately maintained that the physical cosmos, in its stupendous evolution is one interconnected whole of which each part partakes in the glory of the whole.
Skolimowski argues that the balances of the overall structure of the universe are exquisitely tuned. It is now clear that if the universe had different density, dimensions and time-span, life couldn’t have emerged.
The universe is as it is because it meant to generate intelligent life. This insight led to the formulation of the Anthropic Principle (in 1981) which proclaims that the universe is home for man. Its composition, structure and dynamics were exquisitely balanced to enable life to emerge from the stand point of ecological consciousness, Anthropic Principle reaffirms the wholeness and unity of it all, and reassures us that we are legitimate dwellers of the cosmos, not some kind of cosmic freaks.
In one sense, human beings are the justification of nature of the universe. The tremendous cosmic changes have worked out to create life endowed with intelligence. On the other level, the conception of the universe as home for man implies that we are its custodians, responsible for all there is, including our own fate responsible for all there is, including our own fate.
From the Anthropic Principle to Reverence for life:
Although it is possible to agree that the universe is of wholistic in nature, how can we prove that it is reverential and spiritual in nature? Where is the evidence for that? Skolimowski says that the evidence is our mind. To think beautifully about the universe is to think reverentially of it. For Skolimowski, reverence is not the physical aspect of the universe but an attribute of mind. Various systems of yoga represent reverential technology. We are used to thinking about technology to physical tools engaging us with the physical world. Our interactions with the universe are numerous and subtle. Any tool technique which engages us with the universe is a form of technology. Here, Skolimowski views yoga systems as the techniques of the soul. According to him, prayer is the form of technology- if it does something to you and facilitates your interactions with the universe-divine or otherwise.
Cosmologies are matter of vision. If we develop the reverential attitude towards the universe, if we articulate these forms of thinking, perception and behaviour which enable us to walk in beauty, we shall dwell in the reverential universe. The universe will be reverential because we would have made it so. Thus the universe is reverential if we have the capacities to interact with it reverentially. This is what ecological consciousness is about. It is about developing and articulating these capacities which enable us to dwell in a reverential universe, and ultimately to live in grace.
To the divine mind the cosmos is divine. To the grass mind the cosmos is grass. To the monkey’s mind the cosmos is monkey-like. The universe is neither big nor small; neither beautiful not ugly. The glow of mind fills the void and makes it space divine.
It is only from the time when some minds tuned themselves into the sacramental or divine mode that the universe could be experienced as divine. Skolomowski observes that when such superbly tuned minds appeared in India, they created the Upanishads when such minds appeared in the ancient Hebrew world, they created the Bible. In ancient Greece Pythagoras and Plato who talked about godhead accomplish these minds. Sacredness is an attribute of mind, not an attribute of the cosmos.
If we assume that the universe contains nothing but dumb matter and the only way to know this universe is through physical knowledge, we shall obviously not find any traces of spirituality in this universe because our assumptions and our language have ruled it out. If we assume, on the other hand, that the universe is spiritually alive and that we are spiritual agents, and if we act on these assumptions, we shall find ample evidence that the universe is transphysical and transbiological or simply spiritual, as so many people of spiritual, as so many people of spiritual inclinations have found in history.
The last two characteristics, evolutionary and participatory aspects of ecological consciousness can be discussed here.
The beauty of evolution
The French philosopher Henry Bergson has captured the essence of this process by coining the phrase “creative evolutions” –Ecological Consciousness is evolutionary par excellence. Skolimowski says, “The universe is quintessentially unfinished, that human beings are essentially unfinished. From this is clearly follows that we shall further unfold as the cosmos will unfold. We shall mature, new shall take our destiny more resolutely into our hands; we shall become less stupid, less vulgar, less consumptive; more frugal and more wise. This is what an intelligent reading of evolution informs us about.”
Secondly an intelligent reading of evolution informs that evolutions are a devising agent, that it transforms matter into spirit. Evolution is a subtle process of divination, of transforming matter into spirit, transforming consciousness into self-consciousness into sacred consciousness. This new spiritual dimension of Skolimowski requires a critical study.
In brief, creative evolution, as a component of ecological consciousness, is important. It enables us to overcome the crudities of the Darwinian notion of evolution. Here, Skolimowski proposes a middle road which lies between religious consciousness and technological or materialist consciousness.
To follow the middle road of natural divinity within which we conceive of ourselves as both corporal and spiritual, both rational and mystical- all within the bounds of natural evolution.
The sixth element of ecological consciousness is the recognition of the participatory mind.
The astrophysicist John Archibald wheeler writes:
” The universe does not exist ‘out there’ independent of us. We are inseparably involved in bringing about that which appears to be happening. We are not only observers, we are participators. In some strange sense this is a participatory universe”. The conception of the participatory mind signifies the presence of mind in all products of our knowledge and in all pictures of the world.
To change the human consciousness presently stuck in the mechanistic mores will require some kind of revolution. Revolution in the sense that a change in the state of consciousness.
Incidentally, revolutions, which did not work, including the Soviet Revolution, are the ones, which failed to create a new consciousness.
As we are comfortable in our old niches- we find it very difficult to change our/habits/consciousness.
We need special exercises to change our consciousness into ecological consciousness. Skolimowski calls this as Eco-Yoga.
“Nobody can force anybody to acquire a form of consciousness which is not deemed desirable, ecological consciousness offers itself as a desirable candidate because it promises to solve fundamental problems of our times at their root causes. Besides it gives us the luxury of knowing that the universe is home for humans and we are its legitimate dwellers, perhaps even exalted ones.”
Dr. Henryk Skolimowski is the first person who is taking Eco-philosophy on the road. This father of eco-philosophy doesn’t confine his subject to the books only. Through eco-philosophy he wants to revolutionize the world. Henryk’s eco-philosophy is the unique fusion of ecology, philosophy and religion. He pursues the principle of attachment, unlike the Hindus and the Buddhists. He feels attachment is necessary “while we are fighting for the integrity and the survival of the Earth.” His attachment is not for materialism, but for preserving the values of life. “I want society that engages me with life, not one that eliminates me from it,” he says.
Henryk is above caste, creed, color, complexion, religion, nationality and such other barriers which are an eclipse on humanity. He is a man above all religions, as he has laid the foundation of Ecological Dharma which is the meaningful fusion of all earthly religions and ecology. This doctrine of Henryk would help the world get out of the bloody wave of present day fundamentalism, and this would be a giant leap towards establishing the order of ahimsa, peace, harmony and symbiosis on the planet. Henryk belongs to all nations, in a true sense. Ecological well-being of the Earth amounts to the well being of nations which his eco-philosophy assures. Ecology, of course, might be of the greatest value for and the most powerful bond amongst all the nations on the planet. Henryk’s Eco-philosophy would greatly help the world get rid of the ugly face of chauvinism.
Henryk’s vision goes beyond an Age. He envisions what he calls an Ecological Age. His Eco-philosophy is the medium on which the Ecological Age might be created. Henryk’s conception and framework of the Ecological Age creates new hopes and new tactics for saving, preserving, conserving, enhancing, sustaining and sanctifying life and living Earth. In the Ecological Age the Earth will sing the songs of her glory. The evolution of the cosmos will be at its climax. We shall be the part of the whole celebration.
Reference:
Henryk Skolimowski, Dancing Shiva in the Ecological Age, Clarion Books, New Delhi, India, 1991.
Topic:christian cosmology, department of philosophy, ecological consciousness, henryk skolimowski, human arrogance, human consciousness, modes of consciousness, new consciousness, omnipresence of god, religious consciousness