Abstract

A sustainable future for human existence can only be secured when sustainability becomes the central value that organizes human activity. Despite this truth, the idea of sustainability is strikingly absent from the Enlightenment philosophies that gave rise to contemporary models of political and economic organization. The absence of sustainability as a central value in political and economic thinking means political and economic models struggle to accommodate the conceptual relationships necessary for ensuring a sustainable future. This struggle is reflected in the theoretical and practical failures of contemporary models and the failure of these models to address the immanent crisis of ecological collapse. In this address, I examine the role of acquisition and growth in Enlightenment thought, particularly as they guide the writings of John Locke and Adam Smith. These assumptions in their respective philosophies sever individuals and society from ecological thinking. In response to this schism between humanity and nature, I consider writings from Indigenous American authors Corbin Harney and Joseph Bruchac. Indigenous writings not only acknowledge the interdependence of humanity and nature but contain clear warnings against separating the human from the natural. Looking next to Chinese thought, I argue that social-economic stability and ecological stability are not exclusive. In contrast to Enlightenment thought, classical Chinese thought explicitly recognizes the dependence of social-political stability on ecological stability. Finally, in response to Locke’s appeal to theological claims to justify acquisition, I examine the relationship between humanity and nature in the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Despite Abrahamic religions predicating a hierarchical relationship between God, humanity, and nature, Abrahamic scriptures also recognize nature as a divine creation and as a source of spiritual inspiration. This recognition entails rejecting selfish, destructive desires and recognizing acquisition and growth as the ends of human activity. In place of these destructive values and goals, I argue that global religious traditions share a widespread recognition for the ascetic virtues of self-control and self-restraint in the pursuit of a greater spiritual existence.