Based on the content written in New Age Nirvana, I postulate that human civilization will “sprout” towards a more ecocentric worldview and a less anthropocentric worldview. The saying “mind over matter” suggests that for there to be changes made in the systems that are now in place, the mindsets of people will transition into an ecocentric one. This completely is congruent with New Age Nirvana’s theory that the left-hemispheric worldview will change into a right-hemispheric one.
The right hemisphere of the brain’s consciousness is holistic. It encompasses the whole rather than concentrate on a part. This is how ecocentrism will become more of a trend in the consciousness of human beings. Ecocentrism is a wholistic view, that human beings are not the only species on the planet.
According to the website at Animals bring of Extinction, which is that of Defenders of Wildlife, in the past ten or so years the entire world has experienced about 500 species extinctions. The Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the United States has made some progress about this, but many species are still threatened. In the next ten years, a million species will be facing extinction. The Red Wolf is one example of such endangered species. In September 2024 it was estimated that there were 17 to 19 Red Wolves left alive in the wild.
Species extinction is one way that our current anthropocentric tendencies are being detrimental to the rest of the planet. Christina Fredengren talks about anthropocentrism and ecocentrism on the website FutureLearn.com. Anthropocentrism is defined as “the perspective that humans are ‘above’ all species, that nature should be used for humans.” Speciesism is a dominant way in the lens of anthropocentrism. Ecocentrism is, on the other hand, the perspective that “humans are ‘among’ other species rather than ‘above.’ Ecosystems are the center. This is a non-speciesism way of thinking.
What are some of the causes of the anthropocentric trend? “Detachment from nature may be a cause,” an author writes on populationmedia.org.
Yes, separation. The left hemisphere of the brain is for the consciousness of separation, as opposed to the consciousness of unity and oneness which is the right hemisphere of the brain.
The University of Alabama’s Institute for Human Rights has a blog article called “The Separation Between Human and Nature” (humanrights). It says that has been a cold-blooded act, and asks the reader the question “when was the last time you ate food that you didn’t buy with money?” Though capitalism seems to be a glorious form of civilization, the author of this blog challenges the reader by pointing out that we often erroneously view the urban environment as being civilized, while “being one with nature” would be seen as primitive, or even dirty.
I postulate that eventually as we increasingly adopt in our minds the ecocentric worldview due to the rise in the holistic view, we will be able to solve many problems and change for the better. We have grown our roots, and we are going to be sprouting.
