Some pitfalls of ‘manstream’ environmental theory and practice

Summary

Radical environmentalists consider the environmental crisis to be ultimately one of culture and character. However, in analyses and strategies for social transformation, non-feminist greens have generally accepted the Patriarchal conception of human motivation, which is based on a rational, impersonal (read ‘Masculine’) model of ‘Man’. Thus, it is implicitly assumed that the motivations underlying the environmental crisis are ‘greed’ or ‘self-interest’ (deemed rational motives in Western Patriarchal culture). Owing to this male-centred perspective on human nature, green strategies have ultimately relied on an appeal to reason. This, at least, has failed relative to the accelerating pace of environmental destruction.

It is argued that a focus on the ‘abuse of power’ leads to a more useful analysis of the causes of human oppression and environmental exploitation. The abuse of power can be understood as an attempt to overcompensate for unmet emotional needs (e. f. for love, recognition, and a sense of belonging) through an excessive drive for gratification in other dimensions of life. In Patriarchal thought, emotional needs are largely denied, being ‘non-rational’ and ‘non-masculine’, and hence have also been largely ignored in social policy. This realisation suggests new strategies.