forwarded. . . .
Greetings: Below is part of my recent contribution to a discussion on ecosocialism in the left bio internet discussion group left bio. The full discussion, which looks at the overall topic "Ecosocialism and Left Biocentrism: Is there a theoretical exchange or just a divide?", and gives the reasons why I could not sign the Belém Ecosocialist Declaration, is available at the web link below. For the Earth, David Orton <[email protected]> * * * * * * * * * * * http://home.ca.inter.net/~greenweb/Mixed_thoughts_on_ecosocialism.pdf Mixed Thoughts on Ecosocialism David Orton Since coming to political awareness, I have always considered myself as part of the Left, personally defining myself as a communist or socialist. Marx and Marxism (and communism) were positives for me. I even visited Marx's grave in London to pay my respects on one of my trips home to England, after immigrating to Canada. After my ecological awareness developed in the late 1970s, and particularly after grasping the deep ecology vision of Arne Naess, I came to see that ecology was primary. My leftism had to be subordinate to this. Attempting to incorporate biocentrism or ecocentrism into my leftism, which should be one of the main projects of ecosocialism, has been a constant theme in my ecological theoretical life. I tried to bring ecology and my leftism together, and quite a few of my essays and book reviews explore this. Since boyhood, wildlife and Nature have been important for me. I initially spoke of myself as a supporter of “socialist ecology.” Later, once introduced to deep ecology and understanding its primary importance in the mid 1980s, I tried to fuse deep ecology and my left awareness. I initially called this position “socialist biocentrism.” There were then no theoretical role models that I was aware of. Eventually, in September of 1988, I stumbled upon Andy MacLaughlin at a Vermont deep ecology conference for activists. I realized we were fellow travellers, trying to fuse deep ecology and a leftist perspective. I presented the concept of “socialist biocentrism”, along with Helga Hoffmann-Orton, in a paper “Green Marginality in Canada.” This was in June of 1989, at the Learned Societies Conference, Laval University, Quebec City. Within the activist movement in Canada at that time, I opposed a social ecology attempt to present it as the only theoretical way forward for those interested in both ecology and leftism - the 1988 “Left Green Network” initiative. This initiative was spawned in the United States, with Murray Bookchin being the major philosophical influence. I was also trying to relate, for organizing purposes, and given that ecological concerns were primary, to fellow non-left environmental activists around a number of wildlife, forest, and uranium issues. These non-left activists, if theoretically aware, were contemptuous of anyone trying to link socialism and the environment. Later, as my understanding of the ecological limitations of both theoretical Marxism and the record of “actually existing” socialist or communist societies deepened, I came to realize that “socialist biocentrism” was an impossible and misleading theoretical fusion. This concept let socialist or communist societies off the hook for past ecological crimes committed in their names, and it also did not take into account the anti-ecological baggage of theoretical socialism. I did not take this position from an anti-communist perspective, but from a perspective of what I considered ecological honesty. As I have said before, anti-communism is not acceptable to me, because in practice this signals an alliance with Capital. The 2008 “My Path” Green Web Bulletin (#78) “The Left in Left Biocentrism” summarizes my theoretical journey in trying to come to terms with deep ecology and a left perspective. This eventually resulted in an evolving awareness of, and commitment to, a theoretical tendency within deep ecology called “left biocentrism.” Bulletin #78 summarized a number of articles and book reviews and explained why I could not call myself an “ecosocialist.” It also explained why I felt that this is an inappropriate and misleading banner to raise for others to rally behind, despite my own life-long leftist credentials. (Personally, just from a left perspective, I feel more radical than most ecosocialists I have bumped up against. Apparently, the RCMP in 1971 wanted to bring a case against me for “sedition”, according to An Unauthorized History of the RCMP, by Lorne and Caroline Brown, p. 122.) I believe that the ecosocialist banner arrogantly pre-empts the needed discussions about what an ecologically and socially just society will look like in the future. So much is unknown. Using the term “ecosocialism” implies that ecosocialists have the answers - where are the past models? - and this is simply not true. The socialist and communist traditions will however have much to contribute on the social justice side to the shape of future human societies and, by negative example, on the environmental side. (The valid concern with democratic rights and personal freedoms, not properly dealt with in past communist societies, is something important to me, particularly as a dissenter within industrial capitalism.) There are five other writers who come to mind as key original thinkers, who have made theoretical contributions in trying to fuse deep ecology and leftism. They are: Andrew McLaughlin, Rudolf Bahro (who never specifically mentioned deep ecology in his writings to my knowledge), Judy Bari, Andrew Dobson and Fred Bender. Bender, who contacted me after his 2003 book The Culture of Extinction: Toward a Philosophy of Deep Ecology came out, seems to have been unaware of left biocentrism when writing his book. In internet postings concerning ecofeminist discussions, Bender stated that he identifies with left biocentrism. All these people were clearly self-consciously of the left but also strong supporters of deep ecology. (Bahro informed me by personal letter of December 20, 1995, a couple of years before he died of cancer, and after reading various left biocentric writings that I had sent him, that he agreed “with the essential points” of the left biocentric theoretical tendency.) I have never had personal contact with the British theorist Andrew Dobson, although his book Green Political Thought: An Introduction, in its various editions, brought together a deep ecology awareness and an overall leftism. (See my review essay.) Let me make a few comments about Andy McLaughlin and Judi Bari: Andy McLaughlin's Regarding Nature: Industrialism and Deep Ecology came out in 1993. This was a very important book for giving some theoretical foundations in fusing deep ecology and a left perspective. Andy, writing as a socialist, presented the position, which became incorporated into left biocentrism, that industrial society is the main problem, and that it has variants, which are both capitalist and socialist. (p. 172) This is one of the points distinguishing left biocentrism from ecosocialists, who stress capitalism as the principal contradiction. (Left biocentrists are also anti-capitalist.) Twenty years earlier, John Livingston made the same point in the 1973 book One Cosmic Instant, about industrialization being the main problem, and he pursued this in later books. But Livingston made this observation from a non-left perspective. As he said in the 1994 book Rogue Primate, his last major work: “Both 'right' and 'left' subscribe to and are subsumed by the greater ideology of the industrial-growth ethos.” (p. 59) Judy Bari wrote an essay in 1995, “Revolutionary Ecology: Biocentrism & Deep Ecology”, which was very important because she had activist leadership credentials in the Earth First! movement in California, as well as a history of involvement in working class social justice struggles. Judi consciously brought together her leftism (she said she was a Marxist) with seeing the vital importance of deep ecology for a theoretical synthesis. (She sent me a draft of her article for critical comment. I expressed overall support for her path and some friendly criticisms concerning her “workerism”, utopian views on aboriginals, and her views on ecofeminism.) Ecosocialism and Left Biocentrism: Is there a theoretical exchange or just a divide? ... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Visit the Green Web Home Page at http://home.ca.inter.net/~greenweb/ See Dandelion Times for Voices of Left Biocentrism http://dandeliontimes.net
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