From Anthropause toward a Whole-Earth Vision

Abstract

There are noticeable parallels between instituting a global plan to deal with COVID-19 and the need to respond urgently to Earth’s accelerating ecological crises; human behavior has affected environmental factors, contributing to both situations. The Anthropause during 2020 to 2021 has demonstrated that consistent changes in day-to-day occupations and industrial operations can favor a behavioral shift designed to select a cleaner, rebalanced Ecosphere over one that is utterly compromised. The choice to facilitate the more ethical alternative, the whole Earth vision, must also deploy behavioral change. The approach discussed here draws on three eco-philosophical concepts: “ecosphere thinking,” Daoist “wu wei,” and a “deepened aesthetic experience” to support a viable path. In comparison to the sudden arrival of COVID-19, the compromised ecosphere is a consequence of long-term thinking and living under the influence of a Human/Nature binary opposition reliant on objectifying Nature. If certain values, ethics, and circumstances have promoted behavior that degrades the natural world, then thinking of Earth as a “whole planet” could shift humankind’s general orientation away from Human/Nature binary thinking toward a more purposeful, empowering “ecosphere thinking.” Emphasizing life-honoring values and behavior in educational systems world-wide will improve the prospects for coming generations on this fast-warming planet.