From Kindred Media: “Most philosophical positions are rooted in Western enlightenment assumptions of human superiority to and separation from nature, the notion of human cultural progress, and individualismâall part of what anthropologist Marshall Sahlins called the âWestern illusion of human nature.â Virtually all prior and contemporaneous cultures had a different orientation, one of human interconnectedness and partnership with the biocommunity and a cyclical panpsychism. Social anthropologist Robert Redfield concluded that there are essentially two worldviewsâa set of implicit assumptions that guide oneâs values, philosophy, and attitudes towards life. We name these the dominant and the Indigenous worldviews.
The dominant worldview considers the cosmos fragmented, amoral and disenchanted and has led to the disruption of ecological systems, including child development, worldwide. The dominant worldview is seeded by toxic early experiences of disconnection and distress, leading to a psychological splitting of self from others, fostering a self that is easily hypnotizable by authoritarian ideas, and making the detached dominant view seem logical and true. The dominant worldview has led to the demise of biodiversity and cultural diversity.
The Indigenous worldview considers the cosmos interconnected, moral and sacred, and is associated with greater biodiversity preservation . . .
The Indigenous worldview of interconnection and circular effects, sentience and cooperation among natural systems, is supported by scientific evidence today, from physics to biology.
We present forty precepts showing the contrasting worldviews.”
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