Relational perspectives

What kind of animal are we?  We are a species that interacts through mediation, employing tools such as language and theoretical constructs. Our identity is shaped by these tools, contributing to the development of an unsustainable world. Exploring alternative tools from diverse cultures could offer solutions. Video presentation and slides are available (Concordia account required).

Graham, P. (2023). Human Tool Symbiosis [Video]. Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability, Concordia University.

It is useful for thinking about the false dichotomy between mind and matter or tools as mediational means (or even transitional objects). Xavier Zubiri's perspective challenges the mind-matter divide, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human beings as psychic-organic entities. Rejecting reductionism and dualism, Zubiri argues that our organic and psychic aspects are inseparable, forming a holistic system connected to both internal and external factors like culture, society, and nature. Embracing complexity, this holistic view underscores our unity within ecosystems, promoting a deeper understanding of human existence.

TEDx Talks. (2023, July 31). Mind or brain? Matter or spirit? | Luis O. Jimenez-Rodriguez | TEDxPurdueU [Video]. YouTube.

"Rina Swentzell … traces the paths of her childhood through the Santa Clara pueblo. She describes for us the belief system on which she was raised, a socialization that encourages nurturing with nature. 

Swentzell shares her thoughts on the soul that dwells in all things, both living and non living. She discusses her experiences as a child growing up in a world where all things are held sacred, from the stones that line the pueblo paths to the cracks and crumbling of old pueblo architecture."

knmedotorg.(2009, November 30). COLORES | Rina Swentzell: An Understated Sacredness | New Mexico PBS [Video]. YouTube.

"Lawn People places the lawn in its ecological, economic, and social context. Robbins considers the attention we pay our turfgrass-the chemicals we use to grow lawns, the hazards of turf care to our urban ecology, and its potential impact on water quality and household health. He also shows how the ecology of cities creates certain kinds of citizens, deftly contrasting man's control of the lawn with the lawn's control of man" (source).

Robbins, P. (2007). Lawn people: how grasses, weeds, and chemicals make us who we are. Temple University Press.

This video provides another potential illustration of this aspect of sustainability studies and applications across disciplines. Understanding that commonly shared misconception is important for practically any thing we study, because we realize that we are seeing only one side of our subject matter. The limits of Reason and the importance of unknowing to approach the Sacred. God is in all things and all things are in God although they don't all add up to God- Panentheism. Deep truths also have an opposite, how to hold this dichotomy? Important things are not necessarily binary, but like a magnet, both ends are part of a whole.

Adhisthana (2022, August 30). The Sense of the Sacred | Iain McGilchrist with Jnanavaca [Video]. YouTube.