The Long-Awaited Communique on Environmentalism and Primitivism
About the only opinion I have on environmentalism is this: I agree that Earth will go on with or without human beings. I believe that, as a human being, I have a vested interest in seeing the human race continue until everyone I know dies a natural death — whether or not Mother Nature gives a shit about us either way.
Therefore, I support trying to help keep our environment clean for humanity’s sake, not because humanity is the only important thing on Earth, but because the Earth itself is not essentially what’s at risk — us humans living on it is. I don’t know whether technological civilization itself needs to be done away with, but I want to try to either 1) salvage technology or 2) grandfather us into the primitivist utopia, either way in order to avoid massive human deaths.
This is why I still say “yay” for labor unions in the industrial production complex. Whether the workers take over the factories and then gradually start decreasing production to save the earth before finally going back to hunting full-time is a matter of whether or not that industrial production makes human life on Earth untenable. I figure that if humans can survive with a polluted world, Mother Nature will, indeed, kill us — but this is not what we want, so we better clean up our act to whatever extent we need to (keeping the worker’s factories or not) in order to keep Momma from killing us.
Oh, and as for animal rights -- see my post here for why I gave up vegetarianism: http://jlhart7.blogspot.com/2005/12/neandertals-freak-dancing-and-case-for.html
Does this make sense?
Therefore, I support trying to help keep our environment clean for humanity’s sake, not because humanity is the only important thing on Earth, but because the Earth itself is not essentially what’s at risk — us humans living on it is. I don’t know whether technological civilization itself needs to be done away with, but I want to try to either 1) salvage technology or 2) grandfather us into the primitivist utopia, either way in order to avoid massive human deaths.
This is why I still say “yay” for labor unions in the industrial production complex. Whether the workers take over the factories and then gradually start decreasing production to save the earth before finally going back to hunting full-time is a matter of whether or not that industrial production makes human life on Earth untenable. I figure that if humans can survive with a polluted world, Mother Nature will, indeed, kill us — but this is not what we want, so we better clean up our act to whatever extent we need to (keeping the worker’s factories or not) in order to keep Momma from killing us.
Oh, and as for animal rights -- see my post here for why I gave up vegetarianism: http://jlhart7.blogspot.com/2005/12/neandertals-freak-dancing-and-case-for.html
Does this make sense?
Added 9/19/06 - Let’s just do whatever we can to avoid massive deaths, either from starvation OR from primitivist genocide. We can try to save our technology, both because (a) we like it and (b) much more importantly, it’s generally agreed that going straight back to nature would result in billions of people dying. If keeping all our toys save our neighbors from dying in a Mad Max hellzone, well, there’s nothing easier than doing the right thing when it helps you.
However, it could also be that the opposite would be the case. If it comes down between keeping our fun technology and thereby killing billions through planet-death starvation on one hand, and getting rid of our technology to save a greater amount of lives on the other, then I guess I’ll have to resign myself to never beating Sonic & Knuckles.
See also: http://www.anarkismo.net/newswire.php?story_id=1890
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posted by jlhart7 at 10:39 AM
1 Comments:
Well, if we are going to be primitivist, then let us think like primitives and believe that there is not really a difference between humans and animals and the earth. We are all one substance.
Let us be true to our primitive natures and recognise that the issue is not logical but aesthetic. The Eskimo believed that there was only one seal, or walrus or whatever, who is constantly being reborn, but in any case he has to apologise to its spirit for killing and eating it. Or we can join with the St Francis of legend and give thanks to Brother Sun and Sister Moon.
I'm not saying let's be sentimental because I understand that primitive man in various circumstances created desert out of previously fertile land, through inharmonious farming methods, like slash and burn. But the exception proves the rule.
We have to feel it.
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