Comments
October, 2008
Hello to you,
If you have searched for this website, happy reading!
If you have come across it by accident, then please spend a little time, reading it. Go to the home page
for a presentation of what it is about.
Please submit your comments via the website email: hmr@kelvynrichards.com.
I am busy adding my own comments at this time as I have started a revision of each section of the website. The site
has been operating since December 26th 2007, and been accessed by over 10,000 visitors. As I read it every day, I
see opportunities for revisions and changes. Your comments will help me keep the content in focus.
So far, according to Web Log Expert, there have been over 35813 hits from 13000 readers since January 1st
2008: of which 3441 hits by 1490 visitors during April 2008; and 5052 hits by 1877 visitors in May, and 3507 hits
with 1170 visitors in June; 4045 hits by 1401 visitors in July. 3588 hits by 1233 visitors in August; 3175 hits by
931 visitors in September
Web Log Expert tells me also that most of the readers find the website as the result of their own searches. As
supporters of Social Ecology, we want as many readers as possible, and I would ask you to refer this site to as many
of your colleagues and friends and students and family as you can.
But I am coming to the conclusion that while many people are accessing the discourse, you are not reading much of
it; not enough to make comments. Come on....spend some time reading this discourse on social ecology! It was
encouraging to see that in July the average visiting time was up to 50 minutes. So more of you are reading!
I was delighted to see that readers are accessing the website via
http://cache.tianya.cn/publicforum/content/worldlook/1/184150.shtml, a Chinese site. It is important to have
readers from China, as well as USA, Russia, Australia, Europe and other places. www.ipaddresslocation.org tells
me already that the readers are from all over the world, including Algeria;Argentina;Mumbai, India; San Francisco,
USA; Moscow, Russia; Durham,UK; Hong Kong;Iran; Athens, Greece; Bulgaria; San Diego, USA; Ecuador; Erfurt,
Germany; Luxembourg; Indonesia, Japan, Jamaica; Jordan; Belgrade, Romania; Saudi Arabia, Syria; Odessa,Ukraine;
Thailand; the Philippines; Nepal; Virginia, USA; Toronto, Canada; Brazil; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Taipei, Taiwan;
Texas,USA; Florida, USA; Caracas,Venezuela; Riga,Latvia; San Jose,USA;Canberra, Australia; Ghana; Republic of
Korea; Sunnyvale,USA; Israel; Egypt; Kuwait; United Arab Emirates; Yemen; Spain; Vietnam: as well as Tunisia,
Moldovia, Estonia, Panama, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Switzerland.
If you find the issues of Social Ecology significant, tell everyone about this site.
You will find comments and contributions from students of the University of South Pacific,Fiji; the University of
Western Sydney; and others, including Professor Stuart Hill of the University of Western Sydney.
But first, additional comments by myself :
'Pragmatic Approaches';
'Corporate Social Responsibility':
'Solar power';
and a SUMMARY of the Discourse.
A Pragmatic approach to Social Ecology:
I do not want to associate my approaches to social ecology with any mystical or quasi-religious
movements, nor with any political party.
I am aware that some followers of the ‘green movement’ see the forces of nature as expressions of the mystical Gaia,
and follow Buddhist elements. My attacks against capitalism may be regarded as support of socialist political parties.
Of course, my arguments may be seen as all of these. But in my view the importance of ‘social ecology’ is that it is
rooted in the interdependence and relationships between humans, plants, and animals and that any sense of
individuality and independence is a delusion. If we accept our dependence and interdependence on others, we will
act responsibly, care for, and share with, others.
This web site is intended to reveal the necessity of changing the ways in which we think of each other and of nature
and our behaviour. Recently, the Tallberg Forum of World Changing reported that Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the
German Government's Chief Advisor on climate change, asserts that "Our environmental maneuvering space is
shrinking very fast now." Schellnhuber says we have little alternative but to push our political leaders towards real
action. "We see the symptoms of a serious collapse looming now... We will have to reinvent our civilization" is
the solution in a nutshell and the time to act is now. All those concerned about climate change now believe that
planned change and intervention is essential: economic systems will have to change.
It is so easy to place the responsibilities for action on governments, I have been pondering over how to change the
priorities and behaviours of individuals in society.
Let me offer a simple example. I am walking down the street among many others, of all ages. I am aware that there is
a lot of rubbish lying on the ground, all of which is derived from the people who walk the street. It is not leaves from
the trees, it is paper, glass, plastic, food. I am also aware that as the people walk along the road they are busy
dropping the rubbish on the floor. Even though there are bins, the people do not use them : they cannot be bothered
to walk a few yards to the bins; nor can they be bothered to keep their own rubbish in their own bags and take it home
with them. So they let it fall to the ground, carelessly. Such people do not accept the responsibility for the disposal of
their own rubbish. Indeed they will assume that road sweepers will come and collect the rubbish, and will persuade
themselves that it is OK to drop their rubbish wherever they are. At the same time, they may well be complaining
about the rubbish everywhere. So we have to confront the fact that the people complaining about the rubbish are the
people who are dropping the rubbish!
Of course, the situation could be changed overnight if the people kept their rubbish, and disposed of it in the recycle
bins in their homes. Roads and paths would be clear. If we stopped using plastic bags to carry our shopping, perhaps
the world will not be drowning in plastic. But such changes would not be achieved by changing the laws, and
regulations, it can only be achieved by the people changing their minds and their behaviours, and starting to live
‘green’.
’Live green or die’.
I am one of billions. We are all dropping rubbish. I am polluting the environment. We are polluting the world. If we want
the world to be rubbish free, ‘I and we’ must stop.
If ‘I and we’ thought about the sources of the rubbish, and the mountains of packaging that is produced, then ‘I and
we’ would stop buying such ‘rubbish’, and the sources of paper, glass, plastic and packed foods would cease. The
depletion of resources and the mountains of rubbish would reduce. Put like this, it seems so simple. But ‘I and we’
have to be involved, not just ‘I’. Together ‘we’ can initiate change.
But we are part of ecological and economic networks and there are many pressures to move in different directions.
Production and growth are more important in our capitalist world than conservation, recycling and redistribution.
There are whole industries based on the manufacture and distribution of the paper, glass, plastic, that we are busy
dropping on the floor. Any decision to stop polluting the world with these products will mean the closure of the
factories that are making them, and the unemployment of their workers…….Or the employers could decide to make
products that do not create so much rubbish, but, say, decompose after use.
Our capitalist world is based on the maximisation of profit. If a product generates more cost than profit, then it is not
produced. Items are made as cheaply as possible, and sold as expensively as possible. Pollution and waste are not
on the capitalist agenda.
If we are to change our attitudes towards ‘rubbish’, and change our behaviours to ‘rubbish’, then we will have to
change our manufacturing industries and the priorities of capitalism.
These links between ecological networks and economic networks help to explain why any changes take so long, or do
not happen at all.
On the other hand if ‘I and we’ alter our behaviours, then ‘green living’ will become the norm. Our civilisations will be
reinvented!
J.Kelvyn Richards
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
If we accept that Social Ecology leads us to a new morality, then it becomes clear that capitalism and environmental
protection are not compatible. The guiding light of the capitalist is to maximise profits, and that of the ecologist is to
safeguard nature. The United Nations declares that we should be concerned with ‘development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.
The capitalist will claim the loyalties of the investors and the workers in order to maximise profits for the company. It is
'grow or die!'. Corporate Social Responsibility is a sham, a con trick perpetrated by companies to protect their
commercial interests. Indeed the current fad for ‘corporate social responsibility’ can be seen as a strategy to
persuade the workers that their best interests are provided by the corporation. However, we must not forget that the
prime objective of a capitalist corporation is to maximise profits for the shareholders and the directors. INSnet
newsletter in January 2008 signalled that the countries that are acknowledged as the biggest polluters were
gathering in Hawaii to see if they can reduce their pollution and safeguard profits.
If this is best achieved by being more careful about how they look after the workers, or conserve the environment,
then so be it. But once the profits are threatened, the workers will be sacked, and the resources exploited once more.
This has been clearly illustrated by the battles about the exploitation of the Amazon forests. Recently, increased
demands and the prospect for profits has accelerated exploitation by the very companies that had promised
protection and conservation. For example, McDonalds has been encouraging the growth of soya beans, which has
led to the resumption of clearing of forests for farmland. Elsewhere, in the forests of Indonesia, Wilmar, a palm oil
producer, has been caught by Friends of the Earth, violating its own CSR policies by cutting forests and occupying
land without permission.
Ethics World newsletter [Jan 2008] tells us that
An assessment of the Dubai Ethics Centre's efforts highlights the glaring gap between the rhetoric of corporate social
responsibility and the reality of most business practices.
"Companies are becoming familiar with the term 'corporate responsibility' and they recognize the need to be saying
the right things in this rapidly developing, highly competitive international marketplace [and] yet their actions, if not the
words, prove that they remain unconvinced or unclear of the business case for corporate responsibility and the
benefits successful CR management could bring to them in terms of mitigating risk and identifying opportunities,"
concluded the DERC-commissioned report.
There can be a lot of ‘greenwash’ !
I am arguing that ‘capitalism’ and ‘social responsibility’ cannot go together. Capitalism is a system of exploitation in
which products are bought and sold for profit: to ‘care and share’ and ‘conserve and recycle’ are regarded as means
to ends, not ends in themselves. It is easy to see this as the fault of private enterprise. But we must remind ourselves
that the emergence of China as a major economic power indicates that capitalism can be state controlled,
'authoritarian capitalism' , and generate major pollution in every corner of the country in the search for wealth.
Furthermore, I am suggesting that capitalism and democracy do not go together. Capitalism results in the profits
going to an elite, the owners of capital. The recent UN reports indicate that this elite comprises 1% of the world’s
population, who control 98% of the wealth. What sort of world is this!
If at this time the 1% forgot about ‘growth’, and actively redistributed their existing wealth, it would make a significant
difference to all the others. But under a capitalist system that 1% are forever trying to increase their share at the
sacrifice of everyone else. This is oligarchy and patriarchy. Indeed, if you consider the details more carefully, the
battles for supremacy are often between families….for example, some of the largest companies, and subsidiaries, in
the world are owned and controlled by these families: Rothschild, Walton, Halley, Piech, Porsche, Quandt,
Takei, Buffett, Tata, Mittal, Lagardere, Peugot, Pinault, Murdoch, Gates, Thomson, Rausing, Mars, Saji,
Olayan, AlKharafi, AlAyoubi, to name a few. Can we take seriously the notion of a share owning democracy ? How
can we believe that such families are interested in anything other than the aggrandisement of their family! I am sure
that they will be more interested in getting named as one of the Forbes 500. Even those who are involved in
charitable works make sure that everybody knows where the money comes from…….. The Gates Foundation; the
TATA Trusts, and so on. This is tantamount to saying ‘sorry for the exploitation’ and here are some pennies
to make it better.
Social interdependence and social responsibility are to be sought in tandem as part of a cooperative system, what
has been called a cooperacy, not part of an exploitative capitalist system.
Why do individuals, families, and corporations continue to seek ‘growth’? Is it 'grow or die?' Why are they obsessed
with greater profit? What is McDonalds doing in the Amazon? Why did Carrefour, and Walmart venture into Japan?
What is Gazprom doing penetrating the ice floes of the Arctic? What are we all going to do when all the natural
resources of the earth have been consumed? Why do the 1% continue in this way? when most of the people are
poor, and the profits of growth go to the very few who are very rich? How are we able to justify a capitalist system in
which the majority of the world’s population is poor, many on less than a dollar,and many more on less than 10 dollars
a day? In the USA, poverty is defined as less than $58 a day. We know that there are 6.71 billion people living on
earth at July 2008: most of whom are poor; probably 6.6 billion living on less than $58 a day. In 2008, up to 10
million people across the world are classified as rich and live in luxury : of whom 103,000 are multi-billionaires!
Capitalism has enabled a tiny minority of people to control all the wealth of the world.
The 'trickle-down effect' promoted by Friedman is a con trick!
It was a significant development to see that the President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, proposed scrapping capitalism
and developing clean energies as part of radical measures "to save the planet and mankind." "If we really want to
save the planet, we must eliminate the capitalist system," Bolivia's first indigenous president told hundreds of
indigenous delegates from around the world at the UN in April 2008. Morales argued that the capitalist system was
mainly responsible for climate change and for the "accumulation of waste." He also railed against the development of
biofuels which he said only serve to fuel "poverty and hunger" and he instead expressed strong support for clean
energies. "Biofuels are very harmful, in particular for the poor people of the world," he later told reporters. The leader
called for "respect of Mother Earth," guaranteeing access to basic services for all and putting an end to consumerism.
He noted that indigenous peoples had a different perspective on life, including a stronger commitment to social justice
and a preference for communal ownership of the land. "Mother Earth is not a commodity. It's not something to buy
and sell," he said. And he proposed an international convention "to protect water resources and prevent their
privatization by a few." [as reported in www.insnet.org]
Environmentalists have already realised that if and when the poor majority of the world demand a better way of life,
the exploitation and pollution of the world will accelerate out of control. If we listen to Ted Trainer of the University
of New South Wales, future practises will have to be significantly different:
If all 9 billion people soon to be living on earth were to consume resources at the present per capita rate in rich
countries, world annual resource production rates would have to be about 8 times as great as they are now. All
estimated potentially recoverable resources of fossil fuels (assuming 2t tones of coal) would be exhausted in about 18
years.
If all 9 billion were to have the present US timber use per person, the forest area harvested would have to be 3 to 4
times all the forest area on the planet.
If 9 billion were to have a North American diet 4.5 billion ha of cropland would be required, but there are only 1.4
billion ha of cropland in use, and this is likely to decline.
The drive for growth, whether by the rich or the poor, has a limited future.[after Ted Trainer]
You may want to argue that social responsibility and capitalism must go together. If corporate social responsibility as
currently practised is a sham, what should be done to make it a reality? Here are some possibilities.
Ethics World newsletter tells us that www.policyinnovations.org. reports,
In a nutshell, much of the past fifty years has been characterized by a corporate attitude of denial or obligation. Only
over the past fifteen to twenty years have companies begun to look at social and environmental challenges as
business opportunities,either by "greening" their current products and processes or by moving "beyond greening" to
technologies that leapfrog us into the future and make incumbent technology obsolete through a process of "creative
destruction."
Looking forward, however, the greatest opportunity may lie not in reaching only the wealthy of the world with clean
technology, but the six billion plus at the base of the economic pyramid which have historically been bypassed,
underserved, or ignored by economic globalization. To do so will require not only technological ingenuity, but also
disruptive new business models and a willingness to listen and co-create rather than imposing new technologies from
the top down. Muhammad Yunus wants us to run 'social businesses', no loss,no dividend companies, organised to
achieve social objectives, such as health care, sanitation, education, clean water.
What could be done to promote CSR?
What and where is the company?
Offices, factories, warehouses, fields, forests, mines, water. Is it part of the neighbourhood or alien? Does the
company endeavour to link with the local communities.
If you are from another area, or region, or country, make sure you manage the enterprise in the interests of the
locale. Organise the enterprise in tune with the local cultures. On the assumption that you are a capitalist enterprise,
invest an agreed amount of your profits into the improvement of the local area. Do not simply take the money and run.
A fair days pay for a fair days work. Pay the workers at all levels a fair wage as negotiated by all parties. Do not
contrive to pay below the minimum wage. Ideally, one could pay everybody in the company from shop floor to office
the same wage.
Provide the whole work force with benefits that will help them to work e.g. health services, medical care, work
protection such as ear defenders, face masks, showers where necessary, changing rooms, toilets; family leave,
crèche facilities.
Bus services to and from work; conference meetings by internet, and audio/video links; no company cars.
Fair wages. Fair treatment. Fair trade : tea, coffee, soft drinks, milk, fruit, vegetables. Fair Prices.
All processes to be operated by renewable energy: solar, wind, water. In many locations where there is flowing water,
why not return to the water mill?
If the company is producing finished products, say furniture; then use recycled wood.
If it is buying farm produce, make sure that you do not cheat the farmers: like paying one penny a kilo, and selling on
for 1000 pennies a kilo.
In such a company, the priority is offering a fair deal to workers, the suppliers, and the customers. In a company
where profit is the only motive, it is important to cheat the workers, suppliers, and customers so as to maximise profit,
and of course, protest that you are being as fair as possible!
For a company that is manufacturing a finished product, it is essential to cater for any pollution risk from the first
design, rather than discover it after everything has been built. Factories that belch their polluted smokes in to the
atmosphere do so because the company does not care. And the local inspectors cannot be bothered to take action,
or are bribed by the companies to do nothing. It is no good imposing a fine. The factory has to be rebuilt or closed
down.
If any of these actions were taken, there would be significant changes to current practices immediately.
All the ‘developing’ countries, that are claiming their places in the new economies will not be able to enjoy the luxuries
of the North American and European capitalists. ‘The West’ will have hoodwinked the rest yet again!
The force of Ted Trainer’s arguments is that we cannot go on as before. It will all change whether we like it or not,
and we shall have to face the consequences.
I accept that you may not want to go as far as Trainer’s forecasts. But it is time for a seed change in our thinking.
‘Exploitation’ leads us to see other people, plants and animals as objects to be used and abused. Our thinking is
dominated by competition and individualism. Within this mindset, ‘social responsibility’ is just another way to take
advantage of those ‘objects’. ‘Growth’ involves expansion and greater profits. A company that makes the same profit
as the year before is seen to be failing. ‘Expansion’ means that more land, more resources, are consumed and
converted into products and profit. This capitalist cycle will have to stop.
Already, in the wake of the credit crunch of 2007/8, responsible financiers are questioning free markets, and calling
for greater regulation, and suggesting the extension of redistributive taxes. Even senior officers such as S.Roach at
MorganStanley, a principal investment bank, are raising questions about unfettered capitalism. At one level you could
argue that the financial corporations should regulate themselves more rigorously. At another level, one has to admit
that the ‘crunch’ occurred because these financiers were busy offering packages to a wider range of customers so as
to seek growth, and to maximise their profits. In other words, they were doing what they are supposed to do! in a
capitalist system. And they are looking for greater regulation because many of the key players like JPMorgan, Morgan
Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Lehmann Brothers, BearStarns, CitiGroup, and SocGen, Barclays, Northern
Rock have lost millions for themselves, and of course…….for their clients.
Some environmental organisations, such as EarthAction, World Wild life Fund, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace,
LiveGreen, and Ted Trainer’s LiveSimply, see the capitalist search for growth as the key to exploitation and
destruction. The fact that most companies are not satisfied with stability as the norm, and are busy pursuing greater
growth and market share, drives them to produce more and to devise a wider range of other products. For example,
local supermarkets will offer 2 for 1 to increase their turnover. But the impact of this is to increase demands for
greater production in the field and under glass, and the ploughing up of forest or scrubland in different parts of the
world. The history of Walmart in the USA has shown the devastating effects on the environment of low prices and bulk
demands. ‘Walmart Watch’ report that Walmart promote organic foods, even though many products sold are not
organic; their superstores create significant atmospheric pollution and water erosion; their insistence on low prices
force farmers to adopt industrial farming methods, thus altering the ecology of the locality; the fact that they buy many
products from China, and are in fact their fifth largest trading partner, means that they are part of the pollution cycle
in China.
We have to conclude that a ‘fair price’ is not always a low price. It is a price that allows farmers to cultivate in eco-
friendly ways; and is affordable to the consumers; and generates profit for the shop and the farmer. ‘WalmartWatch’
are clearly indicating that big-block superstores and their systems of bulk purchase and global transport are
unsustainable in the future, and need to be replaced by smaller mini-markets. The future should be local suppliers for
local customers. One could argue that if we were part of a system in which the price of any product was the sum of
costs, plus a premium for services, then there would be no need for price competition. Or is that being too naïve?
The culture of capitalism means that one is free to use your own , and other people’s, capital for your personal profit;
to use the labour of others for your own profit, to organise companies so that they make the most profit for you. When
these cultural beliefs are associated with the culture of paternalism, some individuals are given greater value than
others. For example, the father is the leader of the family, and the lines are drawn for systems of patriarchy, in which
the ‘father’ is the most important individual, to whom homage is owed. My analysis has revealed that the capitalist
system of the world is controlled by many such families. It is run by the ‘barons’ of capital. When associated with
elitism, those individuals deemed to be the most able, and the richest, are allowed to form an upper class distinct from
the rest, with the power to control the rest. In such a closed system what does corporate social responsibility mean?
I want to argue that whether we see ourselves as individuals equal to all others; individuals independent of all others;
individuals as part of a patriarchy; elders of the tribe; or members of an elite; we live in conditions of social
interdependence. The one depends on the many for survival, for prosperity, for language, for culture, for education,
for work, for support, for love, creativity, skills. And of course each one of us benefit from, and contribute to, the
networks of social interdependence.
Social ecology leads us to think and act in the interests of all humans, animals, and plants. Social responsibility
involves the seed change in our thinking that Thabo Mbeki is looking for, and leading us to new ways of behaving that
will benefit all: a new morality!
J.Kelvyn Richards
SOLAR POWER
The Insnet Foundation reported this week in their newsletter, May 2008, that the cost of Solar power panels are
tumbling and that the prospects for the photovoltaic industry in the USA and Europe are improving. It is ironic that
many of the world's poorest countries have lots of sunshine, but little oil or gas. Why is it that solar energy has not
been at the forefront of energy provision ? At one level the answer is simple: the bulk of capitalist investment has
been in fossil fuels. The USA once a principal producer of oil has been the principal investor and consumer of oil
products for many years. Solar power has not been on the agenda. At another level, oil and gas had the advantage
of flexibility, being used for heating and transport and thus driving the economic expansion of the USA and Europe.
Solar energy panels are static and used for the production of electricity.
It is only now in the face of reducing sources of fossil fuels that solar energy is becoming the subject of investment
and development. Indeed, recently, some researchers produced a 'solar car'.
If solar power had been on the agenda, is it possible that many of the countries of Africa, the Meditteranean Basin,
and sub tropical zones, would have become self sufficient in their demands for electric energy. I now live in Greece. It
still amazes me that this sun drenched country is dependent on oil and gas, once from the Middle East, and in the
future from Russia. I accept that Greece has not been rich enough to sponsor a photovoltaic industry. I am told that
the government has recently withdrawn all schemes to help householders use solar panels. But that does not alter
the fact that solar power could be their primary source of energy: for example, solar heating could be required in all
accommodation.
Could it be argued that the development of solar energy has been suppressed by the oil producers on the grounds of
unnecessary competition? If the oil producers had been acting according to the principles of CSR they should have
invested some of their many billions of dollars into solar energy, and thus secured the development of many poor
countries, and avoided the ecological disasters of oil pollution in all its forms.
J.Kelvyn Richards
Join the debate.
You can send your comments to the website: hmr@kelvynrichards.com
The web site has been supported by
www.psr.keele.ac.uk....Richard Kimber and the Political Science Resources;
www.insnet.org, the internetwork for sustainability;
www.earthaction.org;
www.thegreenfuse.org;
www.livegreenordie.com;
www.crisisgroup.org;
www.globalissues.org;
www.undp.org; the United Nations Development
programme;
SUMMARY
What are the key points of the discourse?
Why have I identified 'a new morality'?
For no other reason than that, as the discourse unfolded, it became increasingly clear that I was talking about how
people 'ought to', should behave, rather than how they do behave. For example, I and others may agree that we
should 'care and share', but many others are busy killing each other, generation by generation. Furthermore, it is not
enough to care and share locally, we are in situations where it is important to be 'global': In 2005, Mary E. Clark
described this as a 'global-community psychology'. I may argue for 'open education', and the Institute of Democratic
Education, for democratic schools, but the evidence is that most governments choose to control teachers and
teaching in schools.
The arguments developed so far in this discourse are based on the following propositions:
For our survival, we depend completely on others, from the cradle to the grave.
Our freedom comes from our social interdependence and is best regarded as a ‘Social Freedom’ not an Individual
Freedom
Independence is a psychological myth.
Social Freedom asserts that we survive together.
Social interdependence is a social fact.
Social freedom leads to the cooperation of the many in the interests of the many.
Social interdependence and social freedom give us the moral imperative to care and share.
Social Ecology proposes that ‘nature’ and ‘humans’ are interdependent.
Social Epistemology asserts that knowledge is ‘a posteriori’, and is socially mediated.
Education is learning, and the learner is actively involved with others.
Education should be based on ‘social ecology’ whereby knowledge is discovered and problems investigated, and
learning achieved in interactive communities.
The proposals developed as part of this discourse arise from the current changes in physics, genetics, ecology,
social ecology, economics. We have to think about the implications of a “quantum world” which physicists are now
exploring, in which objects may seem solid, but can be fluid, merging, behaving as both waves and particles; the
genetic networks in which genes are not simply ‘selfish’, but have been observed interacting and eliciting changes in
structure and behaviours; and acting ‘socially’ and 'altruistically'; the sustainable world of the scientists, in which
plants, animals, and humans are totally interdependent; supported by the priorities of social ecology whereby
sustainability means redistribution, according to which conservation and development can ‘save nature and reduce
poverty’;
the unsustainable world of our present capitalist lifestyles, leading to great inequalities, 'oceans of poverty', resource
depletion, pollution, climate change, and extreme weather events: a world in which 6 billion humans live in poverty,
and a minority live in luxury.
Individuals need to realize the significance of their interdependence and dependence; and that they are
interconnected as parts of social networks and ecological networks; and in order to survive, they must think and act
locally and globally, forming global communities of learners.
‘Gemeinschaft’ reminds us that social bonds enable social freedom based on social interaction leading to social
interdependence. The resolution of the constant conflicts between local communities underlines the importance of
being ‘local and global’.
The peacemakers advise us to see ‘unity in diversity’, to respect diversity, and adopt ‘multicultural approaches’ in
order to undertake our universal responsibilities for other humans, plants and animals.
Social Ecology is a philosophy and a morality, exploring the ways in which humans should act ecologically and
globally. It does not constitute a description of how we actually behave.
It has become clear that in order to be ‘local and global’, we are going to have to alter our cultural filters by reforming
our education services.
One such alternative is a critique of individualism and meritocracy, in support of Prof. Michael Young,
and the development of social freedom.
Education should be seen as learning rather than teaching with less focus on the transmission of ‘facts’ as givens,
and more on discovery, as the means to open minds to their potential for contributing to our common survival. By
recognizing the diversity of learners, we can develop the support within which all can flourish, avoiding the wasted
talent, apathy and alienation which inequality and lack of opportunity engenders.
Education as learning indicates that the learner is most significant. Effective learning takes place when the learner is
actively participating in investigation, exploration, discovery of things in which they are most interested ; the teacher
is an aid, a guide, not a dictator.
Education as learning indicates that education should be as diverse as the number of learners, taking place in any
learning space with the learner free to negotiate with their teachers what the curriculum is to be.
But it is also true that all learners are dependent upon their teachers, parents, family, researchers, reporters, writers,
other learners, across time and space. We can only learn to be skilled in cooperation with others.
Individuals learn to be free in association with others.
Individuals learn to be skilled by following the examples of others.
‘Social freedom’ is an expression of our social interdependence.
In this vision, schools would need to be mixed ability so that all are working together in learning communities. The
curriculum would be topic/project/problem based with the opportunity for learners choices to be linked to the
achievement of learning outcomes. This system would welcome diversity, respecting difference and fostering
interdependence, promoting co-operation not competition, rejecting notions such as academies of excellence in which
additional resources are diverted to elites...in effect saying that these elites are worth more, and more worthy, than
any others.
The use of learning spaces is a key element of the alternatives we are proposing by emphasizing that learning can
take place anywhere, anytime. Concentrating on problem-solving activities rather than the transmission of ‘facts’,
learners can discover relationships and knowledge rather than memorizing prescribed curricula as directed by
governments or religious centres. Within such a problem-solving approach negotiation would be a key practice in the
development of learner choice and in changing the relationships between teachers, learners and knowledge.
Teachers also become learners, developing their understanding of how to provide scaffolding to support learning.
Open approaches to learning are by no means new. They were the accepted practice underpinning several major
curriculum initiatives in the UK in the 1970s and 1980s such as the Nuffield Project in Science and Maths, the
Humanities Project of Lawrence Stenhouse and the Schools Council, MACOS (Man, a Course of Study) by Bruner,
and many Community education programmes. Projects of this type promoted the use of open texts, the development
of open dialogue, discourse and negotiation in order to solve problems, enabling all learners to cooperate on issues
of real concern in their own local communities and globally. Contributing to such explorations can change ‘education
from teaching’ to ‘education as liberation’: a pedagogy of hope. Learners can move beyond the limitations of
prescription into new worlds of possibilities to become part of a community of equals in learning spaces where they
are able to develop their social freedom. These spaces can be physical or virtual learning communities since the
world wide web now enables communities to bridge the gaps of time and space to meet together on-line in new,
dynamic and fruitful ways, perpetuating their personal and social development, and lifelong learning.
These reforms could be developed to formulate a pedagogy of social ecology, according to which a ‘green
movement’ could promote ‘green living’ in a ‘green world’;
and direct democracy, with communities based on free association, mutual and workers councils, local assemblies,
supported by cooperative households and collective work places;
where ‘green’ communities would preserve, conserve and recycle, reuse and repair. Energy would be saved, and
alternative sources developed. Water would be conserved. Only those chemicals least harmful to the environment
would be used. Paper not plastic. People will walk, cycle, and share automobiles and public transport.
J.Kelvyn Richards
Comments
Mike Cronin, UK. 2008
I don’t think that ‘the survival of the fittest’ is, as you quote Thabo Mbeki saying, ‘a savage principle.’ I’m fascinated
by what precisely the word ‘fittest’ means. It seems to me that all too often it’s understood to mean the strongest, that
is, something savage. Doesn’t it really mean…those most fit, those most apt to continue the struggle to survive?
When the dinosaurs were extinguished, it wasn’t something stronger and nastier that survived. It was insects and
small rodents because they were the best equipped to do so. That seems to be true of the human arena too. The
survivors will be those people, and the system they have evolved, that can maintain existence. The capitalist system
and its followers delivers increasingly only poverty and war, and the extinction of more and more humans. Unless that
is replaced there can be no survival. A socially based solution is all there is: that is, the only solution apt and capable,
but not inevitable.
It was good to know that the Selfish Gene can finally produce Selflessness. Yes. What can even the most selfish gene
achieve without…….others?
I am not convinced that it was talk that brought about peace in Northern Ireland. I think a far stronger case can be
made for the fact that during the latter part of the 20th century the South rapidly advanced both economically and
socially. ‘The roar of the Celtic tiger drowned out the chanting of the clergy’, and became a less alien entity in the
minds of the North. Certainly not one they could
any longer point to as ‘medieval’, and increasingly one whose prosperity as part of the EU was decidedly enviable.
Until that point was reached all the talking could achieve nothing……other than keeping the door ajar.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH PACIFIC IN FIJI, 2004-2006
During 2004 to 2006, a colleague, Dr. Connie Marsh, while working in the University of the South Pacific in Fiji, used
the original version of the discourse on ‘Social freedom’ as an interactive learning programme, with a range of adult
learners, who were professionals in Government services. After the presentation and discussion of the programme,
the students were invited to offer comments about the ideas of social ecology and social freedom. [Find below their
unedited comments].
*Dr.Bindiya Chauhan* October 2006
No man can live as an island. We are completely dependent on others for our very existence. From birth until death,
each and every thing we do is what we learn from others and that has an impact on several others. Technology has
made the world a smaller place, connecting people from all around the world through telephones, internet, emails,
web cam etc. Globalization on one hand has brought people together whereas capitalism on the other has led to the
rich becoming richer by exploiting the poor for personal aggrandizement. Personal growth and success has taken
priority over growth of the society. This situation calls for the need of social justice and equality across the global
community. Education has a crucial role to play in the development of Social Freedom. The concept of Social
Freedom applied to education practice reveals that both teaching and learning are a collaborative affair. By
promoting collaborative learning, universities can induce human values and sense of interdependence in their
students and thus building up the moralities of the learner and not just concentrating on individual academic
excellence.
Talking about Fiji: it is a multiracial, multicultural country where
Indians and Fijians have lived together for many generations. Whether
they recognize it or not but both the communities are totally interdependent for their survival. An example of this is the
Indian cane farmers leasing the land from the Fijian landowners. The Indians work on the land to earn a living and
from this process generate income to also pay back to the landowners a fee (rental) for the use of their land. The
money in this case benefits both the communities in achieving their goals of earning a living. Not recognizing this and
dwelling on their personal difference has led to the discrimination between the two and the political instability.
Individual freedom cannot be achieved without social freedom. How can one person be happy when the people
around him are suffering? This is not true human nature. True human nature is being happy by bringing a smile to
others. By fostering human values love, peace, truth, right conduct and non-violence, education can bring about this
true human nature and freedom for all. These values are not only to be taught at schools but to be incorporated into
the child’s upbringing from birth by the family. Family plays a very crucial role in how the child develops these values.
Children brought up in families that foster
human values grow up with virtues of love and sacrifice for others. The youths today need to understand their
responsibility towards the society to which they belong. They need to go beyond the realms of their family and extend
their love and service to the needy/community. Only education has the power to do this. Education should not merely
be for earning a living but it should make individuals aware of the needs of the society and make them capable of
alleviating the socio-economic problems e.g. involving in social activities such as assisting people living in squatter
settlements, assisting old and disabled people and other such service activities. Such community service activities
should be incorporated into the school education thus teaching the younger generation the values of love and
sacrifice towards others. In Fiji,the SathyaSai School in Drasa, Lautoka runs on the principle of incorporating human
values in every subject that is taught including mathematics, social studies, science etc. Another key feature of the
education provided at this school is the focus on concentration techniques such as meditation. In order to totally
eliminate the differences in the two races that study at that school i.e. the Indians and Fijians, learning both the
languages has been made compulsory. Service to mankind and nature with selfless love should be the aim of
education in order to bring about social freedom.
09:20, on Sunday, 01 October 2006
*Carol Talbot*
If social freedom is aligned with ‘virtual’ education and the implied
learning opportunities are available. I suggest we closely scrutinise what it is we are trying to achieve. To my mind,
there are two distinct activities ‘virtual’ education may propagate. However,there is a distinct divide between the
fundamental requirements of these
activities. The first activity, I perceive rests upon intellectual
content, albeit social freedom and participative activities may well
direct and develop the content. For example, dissemination of
information such as health information via trained health workers for
further dissemination within the community, distance flexible learning opportunities, development of agricultural
discussion groups within the ‘global village’ between people with a common language, diminishing isolation for the
geographically remote, aged and housebound and incorporating their knowledge as an element of the knowledge
commons is equally achievable, as is the development of a ‘politically informed’ citizenry. That which is problematic is
content that requires ‘hands-on’ knowledge learning. Leaving aside issues such as telecommunications technology
(ITC) as people around the world are ably bypassing the problems and limitations posed by ITC, the most significant
limitation I perceive is the massive human effort and capitalised infrastructure required to develop ‘virtual’ information
systems that simulate reality in the way a flight simulator offers a student pilot the opportunity to learn to fly aircraft
(http://www.edge.org/3rd_culture/schank/schank_p1.html). ‘Virtual’ learning hands-on education, such as learning to
turn wood on a lathe accompanied by the sound and smell of such an activity will necessitate complex ‘virtual’
information systems. Before ‘virtual’ learning is touted as the panacea for many of today’s problems, we need to
rethink what we are striving to achieve incrementally. Intellectual content is transferable sooner rather than much
later. However, we must not overlook the valid requirements hands-on activities such as the metonymic wood turning
on a lathe represent. Worldwide, most people have the capacity to benefit from and contribute to our intellectual
commons; considerably less people have the talent to transform a piece of wood into an artefact, utilitarian or
decorative. ‘Virtual’ learning systems that meet hands-on learning needs represent both a second tier of innovation
and new challenges. Humankind is the sum of all of its parts. A nourishing source upon which our intellectual
achievements draw is the opportunities, challenges and innovation our creative output
necessitates.
09:28, on Friday, 29 September 2006
*Oreoluwa Afolabi*
Social freedom implies that the society needs to come together to
liberate itself from the global dilemmas so that by joint action all can survive together. The central theme of social
freedom is that all
members of the global community must realize that we are interdependent;we need one another to survive. The
concept of independence, self, individualities and existentialism have been with us from time immemorial and it is
obvious from all sectors of the society that this pathway is determined to our survival as a global community. This
unfortunate notion of self and independence has led to our current pathetic state, worldwide violence, terrorism and
woes. Furthermore, attempts by individual members or groups in the society to acquire lots of wealth, assets, aspires
to wants self-aggrandizement with the aim of achieving independence will generate competition, oppression and
conflict. Efforts to survive alone are against the spirit of social freedom. As Thebo Mbeki, the President of South
Africa implied in his address that an island of wealth surrounded by a sea of poverty will not survive. This is amplified
in countries like Uganda, Zimbabwe where a few aspired to meritocracy but were faced with societal unrest, war and
conflict. Such Island of wealth would not enjoy such wealth after all. By contrast, we must see ourselves as members
of the same global community, working alongside each other with the spirit of unity and trust. We need to see each
other as equals; people working towards the same goal of social liberty and mutual survival. We need each other to
survive together. When we work together, paying little attention to our differences, and uphold the notion that we are
mutually. The concept of social freedom is very vital, the message should be taken to governmental level and higher
educational institution to raise the awareness of our leaders and the young learners.
12:37, on Wednesday, 27 September 2006
*Paul Mae*
Social freedom is the belief that people are free to embark on anything within their social fraternity to attain a better
lifestyle. These means breaking down old barriers, ways of thinking, and other social fallacies that might have
prevented that in the past. This can be considered as a huge issue in the Pacific context because of the fact that
there are certain restrictions on what we now considered as part of our social freedom and entitlement. For example,
things like education, right to employment, right to a proper shelter, right to engagement in whatever business you
wish to. These are only a few examples of things that social freedom has given us an entitlement to. However, how
could we reconcile social freedom with the Pacific Culture. A culture where the male figure place the dominant role; a
place where if a choice is to be made to determine who gets an education and the vote will always go towards the
male; or where the women’s role in society is restricted to household duties. Its good to see that many Pacific Island
countries have recognised the social freedom and the right for all its citizens to be treated equally(thanks to ICESCR
anc ICCPR which was signed by many Pacific
Island Countries). It was encouraging to see more female students
enrolling in law course, a profession that has been dominated by male
members since its inception in early history. Also it is encouraging to see Governments promoting free education
(though I pray its not some political campaign for their own benefits) for our children. This gives an equal chance for
all our children an opportunity to be educated, irrespective of whether you have the money or not. Social Freedom is
a new concept in the region and is yet to gain a
permanent foothold in government policy making, provincial policies, and at the village level. I pray that it reaches the
village level
eventually so that our children can enjoy their social freedom.
06:33, on Tuesday, 26 September 2006
*Shirley Scola*
Social Freedom is the recognition of our interdependence for survival
and therefore our freedom is a product of our social interdependence
and for most people we accept a level of interdependence.Increasingly
this interdependence is no longer just between individuals or communities, but is in fact global. This global
interdependence should build respect and tolerance, but all too often our dependence on an outside system builds
fear and uncertainty about the dependency of that system. We start to feel insecure. This is all too apparent with the
industrialised nations.Dependence on oil and the lengths that they will go to secure that commodity. In theory, our
mutual interdependence should be mutually beneficial: a win win situation allowing a more equitable distribution of
wealth, but our selfish attitudes, our insecurity, our greed and mistrust, our capitalist ideals of economic growth at the
expense of poorer countries, and our exploitation of the worlds resources, mean that we defend our right to these
assets and will go to war to protect our own interests so that :
We would rather give aid than fair trade.
We would defend our right to increase global warming.
Our perceived needs justify our use and abuse of the worlds resources.
The social freedom that interdependence should bring is a utopian ideal that we should all strive for, but I fear will
always be limited by human selfishness and resultant inequalities. The grass is always greener is applicable to Fijian
interdependence. Instead of recognizing their differences and their interdependence, they focus on the idea that the
other people are doing better than they are,
have more than they have, and therefore should give more ; and when this isn’t achieved, people resort to other
means to obtain what they feel is rightfully theirs. They fight their perceived injustice with their own injustice and their
Island Paradise is spoiled.
02:26, on Monday, 25 September 2006
*Charles Scola*
As I have read the discussion, Discourse on Social Freedom, and the
contributions from others, I find myself fully in agreement that the
freedom of the individual can only be sustained within the
interdependence of social freedom. Connie Marsh’s very thought provoking piece on the struggle for true peace is
very appropriate in
today’s climate of worldwide fear and localized violence. Surely all
thinking people will agree that our world desperately needs true peace and justice, based not just on respect but also
support for each others freedoms, values, beliefs, rights and responsibilities. Perhaps we need a War on Hunger,
poverty and oppression?
However, I believe that human nature is deeply flawed; as well as the
capacity to love, there is a darker side of our nature which is selfish and violent. Why one aspect or other
predominates is much debated, is it due to genetic or environmental factors, and does poverty and deprivation in
childhood play a part, what role can education play? Any discussion of social freedom without an acknowledgement of
this darker side of human nature and a way to deal with it; is utopian rather than practical. It seems to me that those
who control nations, take charge of armies or drive the economy; have little to gain for themselves from social
freedom, as more freedom and choice for the man in the street means less control and power for themselves. How
many politicians, generals and captains of industry in the course of history, have truly empowered the ordinary man
or woman? In the end I do not believe we can truly change the world (because we cannot change human nature),only
possibly ourselves and the people we interact with each day. Social Freedom is a worthy goal, and I agree that
education should play a major role in its development, but sadly the seeds of selfishness and violence will always be
present and surface with depressing regularity. Reading the New Testament about the life of Jesus in Palestine under
Roman occupation, shows us how human nature has not improved, despite 2000 years of vastly improved wealth,
education, literature and science. We may have to accept what all the world’s religions have been trying to tell us,
man is flawed and cannot improve without divine assistance. If you need convincing, please refer to James.
02:27, on Monday, 24 October 2005
*Shivanesh Rao*
The concept of social freedom suggests that the survival of society is in reality; interdependence on each other. The
corollary to the concept of freedom is that the idea individualism do not exist i.e. it appears that we survive in society
on our own but in fact it is through the interactions and dependence on others. Even people who are doing your own
businesses are dependent on their employees and on the customers. This individualism is taught in schools which
have always tried its best to make students act independently in making decisions thus creating a fallacy of
individualism. The article says that universities play the game of reserving higher education for the societal elite. By
applying the concept of social freedom, the article points out that: Living is a collaborative affair whereby we all look
after each other to secure survival. Socialisation is a matter of collaboration in order to induct our families into the
ways of the larger society so that we can survive and thrive. Education is a collaborative affair in which we are all
involved actively creating our world. Work is a collaborative enterprise in which the efforts of all, under our present
capitalist system, are used to secure the greatest profits of shareholders.
Since education is a collaborative process, the teaching process will be more based upon the drawing out of
information from students rather than feeding information. By promoting group work, we create a collaborative nature
in the student. This is known as a collaborative learner; And learner contributes towards the social capital i.e. we
increase our inter-dependence in society in terms of education. Furthermore, social freedom asks us to re-look at the
concept of knowledge and community. Knowledge would no longer be what you understood at school but rather the
method of reasoning you realised i.e. teaching students to interrogate the ideas being raised rather than being
presented with the answers. Communities would no longer imply people leaving or working in the same area but the
collaboration of ideas amongst people. This would imply that students in USP should be encouraged to explore
answers on their own. This is also the principle of constructive alignment. In the field of physics this would imply that
student should have more practical content in their course. This will help the students to visualize the concepts being
taught. By encouraging group work we can rely on students helping each other out, hence strengthening their
collaborative skills. The role of the teacher here would be to draw out knowledge, guide and assess the student on
the group skills. In physics this would be very useful in the sense the group activities with projects would create a very
fun and social and learning environment.
12:31, on Monday, 09 May 2005
*Tim Pickering*
My own academic area here in Fiji is marine studies which can be
likened to a geography of the oceans which encompasses both natural
and social sciences, and both coastal and oceanic zones including those terrestrial zones which have downstream
effects upon our seas.
A key concern for marine studies is that utilization of marine resources be sustainable, in a way that balances use with
protection from use. This concern is reflected in our mission statement to provide the necessary opportunities for
Pacific Islanders to understand, conserve, develop, manage and utilize their living and non-living resources in a
rapidly changing world.
I have been monitoring developments in the unfolding saga of
international law and policy about environment and development ever
since 1992 when the Rio Earth Summit first formalized the adoption of
the concept of sustainable development as the primary goal for
concerted international action by states.
This saw almost universal acceptance of the trans-boundary nature of
several serious global threats like climate change, pollution,
overfishing, desertification, de-forestation, security of water
resources, etc. etc. Nations have since been pursuing the conclusion of negotiated Multi-lateral Environmental
Agreements (MEA?s) ever since (mostly recently at Johannesberg WSSD or Rio+10, and at Mauritius meeting on
Small Island States or Barbados+10), founded upon an assumption of interdependence of states but often foundering
upon assertion of independence (particularly from USA and Australia)
A philosophical problem throughout has been tension between
environment and development, owing to a mindset that one can only be
achieved at the expense of the other. In recent years conceptual relief to this dilemma has been offered by the
concept that poverty is the main enemy of sustainability, so there must be development to
eliminate poverty as a driver of unsustainable development. By the same token, there can be little development
without maintenance of the environment as ecological capital for development. The short answer is that there must be
both environment and development; it is not a case of having one or the other. This is the sentiment that has been
expressed in WSSD outcomes.
Although I’d never heard of social freedom as an ideology until I
looked through this website, it appears to arrive at a similar result, i.e one comes to a similar conclusion by following
this train of thought. Social freedom does this by stepping outside of the
environmental box, or at least by expanding the size of the box to
take in several other cross-cutting disciplines - economics, politics, physics, and education. Interestingly, in past
UNESCO reports about education, the primary function advanced for education is to achieve sustainable
development.
12:55, on Saturday, 30 October 2004
*Adama Ebenebe*
This should appeal to every rational, thinking person. Personally, I am also of the view that we are socially
interdependent, and that none of us can be truly free when the rest of us are so deprived, especially economically. I
have been to cities where affluent citizens are living in fortified ‘prisons’ called homes, where
razor wires, guns, sophisticated intruder detection and alarm systems, and even the all too common ‘Beware! Vicious
Dogs’ sign do not seem to provide the much-craved peace and security. This scenario is perhaps extreme but not
uncommon, and no community is immune to such sad developments. Even those who live in communities with milder
forms of security and related issues agree that something needs to happen to address the rising tide of poverty,
crime and violence. The simple fact is that no one in any given community can enjoy peace and security as long as
wide socio-economic and other dehumanising gaps exist. Therefore, many of Social Freedom's ideals are worthy of
pursuing. But I have a frustration: Can we successfully attain social freedom on a sustainable and widespread basis?
If the human race’s track record is anything to go by, the prospects are quite depressing.
10:33, on Saturday, 30 October 2004
*Virendra Kumar*
Social freedom and social independence have been co existing in this
world for many decades. In my opinion the ethical values, good qualities and self-identities of human beings no longer
prevails in today’s modernizing world. Education implementers and decision makers should work out some strategic
plans in order to cater for the individual differences and racial revulsion. The perception of social freedom has a lot of
implications on our education system. In order to cater for these implications, there is need for appropriate aims for
education for the next century. I think it should be based on desire to live in peace and harmony and has equal rights
for freedom and social justice, hence this will be able to encourage the principles of social freedom and social
interdependence. The education system in my country is mainly exam oriented and the teaching methodology is
transmission and surface learning. Being multiracial and multicultural country the problems of social freedom prevails
on our education system in terms of racism and scholarships. The introduction of technological aspect on our
education
system will enhance the teaching and learning and enhance social
cohesion. However, I think it is possible to achieve social freedom and social interdependence.
12:50, on Thursday, 28 October 2004
*Wahab Ali*
One of the greatest themes pervading humankind is social freedom and
social interdependence. Social freedom attempts to capture the spirit of mutual interdependence for all people
through mutual support and
understanding. I always believe that human beings are social beings but have lost the values and virtues, which were
one time considered as the major characteristics of human beings. Social Freedom encourages educational planners
to recognise the nature of the real world in which social tyranny in the form of violence and ethnic hatred needs to be
addressed. Thus the role of education needs to be re-looked at. I believe that the appropriate aims for education for
the 21st century should be based on the 4 pillars as advocated by the UNESCO Report (1996). The implications of
the concepts of social freedom place the education system in a dilemma. The present education system in my country
is very competitive and exam oriented. The problem gets compounded because of the multicultural and multiethnic
and multi religious makeup of the total population of the country. The roles of the teachers and the lecturers are
changing and this places new demands on the education system. There is another interesting implication for
technological expansion. The age of the computer has opened the way to self-directed learning through e-mail
connections allowing people to gain access to the information super highway. However, taking into consideration
social freedom, the web services need to be provided in a number of languages so that non-English speakers can
also easily access the information. Finally I believe that achieving total social freedom is challenging but not
impossible!
These comments provide an illustration of the development of an open dialogue aiming to alter the relationships
between teachers and students so that all can participate as a community of learners. While there was a grasp of the
concept of social freedom as a statement of the interdependence of people, there was a concern about the
selfishness of individuals and the implications for cooperation and sharing. Not only in general with reference to
competitive systems of education and trade, but particularly to the dominant roles of men in society to the exclusion of
women and children. For one participant, divine intervention was the only way to keep humans under control. It was
not surprising, therefore, that some of the students regarded ‘social freedom’ as more to do with ‘utopia’ than ‘reality’.
[As a result of these comments, Connie Marsh and I realised that we had to reconcile all notions of freedom and
interdependence with those of conflict and tribalism and nationalism]. The comments underlined the importance of
education to any changes in values and mindsets. Education was seen as part of family and school: promoting love,
peace, truth: environment, development, sustainability. But there was, and is, a tension between independence and
interdependence, individualism and community. Join the debate.
UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN SYDNEY, NEW
SOUTH WALES
Semester 2, July, 2006
100711: Social Ecology: Sustainability and Change [from: learning journey reports]
Professor Stuart B. Hill, School of Education, University of Western Sydney, NSW
As part of their Social Ecology programme, Professor Hill and his staff have been adopting approaches that uphold
‘education as learning’.
The course sessions were active social events in which learning is interactive and cooperative. The model is dialogic
whereby groups of students discuss texts and problems in order to reach solutions, or at least hypotheses that can
be tested. The students are involved in the development of key skills, and the attainment of key outcomes.
The following comments by the students[identified by letters] in their learning journal about their course offer useful
insights to ‘education as learning’.
General Learning and Appreciation
In our first class Stuart provided several definitions of Social Ecology, and then invited us to formulate our own! [F]
Social ecology has provided me with a place to be me, and learn as me; to respond with love and confidence; I have
been given tools with which I can be empowered to make a transformation in myself, my community….my world. [I]
…social ecology moves completely away from instructional learning allowing us to use our own personal journey and
embrace the individuality of that journey, meeting you where you are and taking you to where you want to be….it calls
for a holistic approach to learning – and, in turn, living…. [It] embraces difference and encourages people to find their
own voice, allowing people to realise their power as an individual to make change. [A]
I initially chose the unit as there was not much else to choose from.”WOW”.…[it] ended up being…one of the best
units I have undertaken during my four years at university. It has been challenging, allowing me to think more
critically about my relationships and interactions with my personal, social and environmental domains. It has taken me
on a journey of personal discovery and acceptance, where I have been willing to take charge of my learning story….
[an] opportunity to think outside of the square to which I have previously conformed, and break down the various
dominant and cultural discourses that have ruled me for so long! What a journey! [B]
In the first class I grasped that social ecology involved the personal, social, environmental and ‘spiritual’…. [And] it
was evident that we were to set goals for ourselves and that our learning journey was our own…my goals were all
personal:
1. to be open minded in my learning of social ecology;
2. to share my ideas, thoughts, hopes and visions with the class;
3. learn through each and every experience and reflect on this;
4. learn self-respect, self-love and self-discipline;
5. to gain a greater awareness of society and the issues facing it; and
6. envision a better world and take the first steps towards doing something that can achieve this.
The biggest task …is going to [be]…to reflect. [C]
Social Ecology is such a powerful, mind-blowing, conceptual way of thinking that has come at the right time in my
life….We are often faced with much negativity about a lot of issues…so we act with outrage and feel powerless….This
subject has shown me a big picture way of looking at issues that has enabled me to grasp…how people and the world
work, and how we can then better engage with the living world….We can bring joy to the table.
Social Ecology has provided me with a holistic framework that emphasises the interrelationships between the
personal, social, environmental and spiritual spheres…understanding about the past, present, and future domains. It
has enabled the class, and people out of the class, to collaborate thoughts and feelings into visions that we can
implement into the future of the world. Social Ecology has allowed me to express myself in the world within which we
all live. [D]
Throughout the weeks…I have felt myself changing, being stretched into new shapes yet, at the same time, remaining
more of myself than I ever thought possible… [enabling me] to regain my place within my environment and the rest of
society. [F]
Webs: our first assignment, our WEBS, was a useful exercise in realising ourselves as a member of an ‘ecological
web’, and for the opportunity to view a business or commodity as part of that web. [F]
[Our] holistic learning [included] understanding these metaskills: complexity, power, gender and otherness/difference;
diverse ways of knowing; creative visioning and designing; and effective communication and other ‘professional’
skills. [These] will be integrated throughout the following reflection of my learning. [I]
Complexity: social ecology classes have made me realise how the smallest issues are so complex….I can now take
this greater complex way of thinking and incorporate it into anything I want, as even the smallest creature has a
complex web of living. [D]
Power: it is rare that decisions are made on behalf of all people…or the wellbeing of the environment….This is where
protests and activists play a large role in giving the people a voice to be heard for the good of those people with no
power or privilege….I admire the ‘leavers’ [in contrast to the ‘takers’] of this world. [D]
Diverse ways of knowing: taking a holistic approach to learning allows so much more to be accounted for. It also
allows me to see more of the picture. Other people’s perspectives are a powerful tool to work out the gaps in projects
and conflicts….I put a lot of faith in my intuitive being, and it gets me to great places. I’m learning to listen to what my
body has to say to me….I feel that by acting more creatively and imaginatively I can discover much more about myself
and life’s issues. [And] I am still open to more diverse ways of knowing. [D]
Creative visioning and designing: is a tool that…would eliminate some of the power struggles that operate in
society…and hope. [H]
Effective communication: At first I was very reluctant to speak up…because I felt that my responses were ‘wrong’.
However, I quickly learned that nobody in the class was judging me, and that my views would not be labelled as
wrong. As soon as I realised this I began to feel confident and became involved in the discussions….Communication
between my peers, Stuart and myself was always straight forward and understandable…’open communication’…
based on openness and honesty. [G]
Professional skills: I have learnt to be very organised in this subject by putting articles and reflections in my learning
journal….going on webCT regularly and downloading the relevant articles. [D]
Group presentations: [Our presentation] – Kingswood Eco-Market – was ‘Great Fun’…this … put things together for
me, as we included all that we had learned about sustainability and change in an effective presentation. Another
positive aspect…was that it helped me to get to know my peers on a personal level…and we grew to become good
friends [this student then went on to share specific appreciations of each of her collaborators, such as:] – I really
appreciated the unique ideas and thoughts that ‘D’ brought to our group. He was always interested to listen to our
views, yet looked at them in a different way, which encouraged us to see some of them in a different way as well. [G]
We worked well together as a group…[and] let our imaginations run wild with ideas, concepts, colour, and the
presence of life being so abundant….What would I do differently? [He then reflected that he had probably gone too
fast, and tried to cram too much in…and, instead of having a handout with lots of questions, he would ask:] – What is
one thing from each stall that you will take home and incorporate into your daily life? [D]
Ishmael (Quinn 1992): took me on such a great journey…enabled me to …unfold my own thoughts about many
issues, and concepts about myself and the world we live in…It has given me some faith that there may just be some
hope for the future….Ishmael has answered many questions for me. [D]
Self assessment: with social ecology, the more you put into it, the more you receive personally… in classes…my mind
was full of thoughts…some great discussions… numerous… issues raised…and ideas put
forward…experiences…allowed me to more easily ground the theory into my personal relevance…I enjoyed doing
every assignment…the ‘webs’ helped me to see the complexity of [interrelationships]…the group presentation was a
high for me…I enjoyed the other presentations just as much…I will be using concepts that I have learnt here…as
social ecology is related to…everything. [D]
I really believe that I enrolled in this subject for a reason, and this reason has come flooding to me over the past
fourteen weeks, to change my life. The things that I take with me from this subject are all life-changing, and things
that I am so deeply grateful for. Through the subject I have been enabled with information, thoughts and ideas that I
have taken on board – that can now enable me to be aware of my actions and, in turn, make positive changes that I
have subconsciously been looking for…. Before…, I was searching for something, as I was not happy with my life…
[but] I was not sure what I was searching for – now I see. I have for so long been trying to tap into the person I was,
the child that loved to engage with her friends in the environment that nourished and supported her experiences.
Where had she gone?... I now [realise] that we need to…enlarge the relationships that we have …with our fellow
humans…see our Earth as also part of us…embrace…the intricate bond that can exist between ourselves and the
biosphere that gives us life…Somewhere within the emerging vision…lies a new, ecologically-based conception of the
psyche…. Without self-healing, the…biological principles of sustainability would not be complete. [A]
…an unforgettable learning journey….I feel very excited and proud of myself, as I have come a long way in terms of
my learning, [and] sad to be finishing…as I have grown to enjoy the…mind-boggling discussions…with…my peers
and Stuart. I feel a great sense of achievement and pride in this document, as many sleepless nights and tears of
both joy and frustration have gone into its production. I will treasure these moments as they are a major part of my
learning….As I look back…I realise that each of us has shared something quite unique,…as…I have [especially] my
trust and friendship….I trusted my peers to respect me as I respected them, and therefore felt ‘safe’ to contribute my
ideas and thoughts….I will also take away many unforgettable memories…fun…Stuart…supportive and
dedicated…his passion for student’s rights…I will always remember him as an energetic soul that is full of life. He
always knew just the right time to tell his funny jokes, creating a fun learning environment….I have …enjoyed every
moment of my learning throughout this unit, and this is mostly due to your quality and engaging teaching style. Thank
you for sharing with us your passionate personality. [G]
I have come to understand that as an individual, I CAN EFFECT POSITIVE CHANGE, I can make a difference, and I
can do something about the future for myself and for others. I started this unit, unfortunately, with little interest and a
closed mind. I quickly became a sponge, absorbing the knowledge of those before me and around me. I became an
active listener, becoming intently involved in all conversations and activities. I became an avid note taker, and began
to notice the ‘creative chaos’ taking over my lecture pad. I was exposed to the way I abuse and misuse the universe,
and realised that it is NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE (Peavey 1986). I am encouraged to fight for what I believe in
and to develop a connection with all the creatures that inhabit the world. [J]
Social Ecology has been the most challenging yet stimulating unit I have studied at university…. It has allowed me to
gain greater awareness about myself, my purpose and consequences of all my actions….enabled me to embrace
myself and the environment in which I [live]….Stuart…was instrumental in this process…through his wisdom, care and
teaching of himself….he has inspired me to set myself out and adopt a new attitude of existence….I have improved
my emotional literacy….Thank you for the challenge that has changed my life…for the better. [K]
Thank you to social ecology. You allow me to be myself, learn as me, and live as me, to overcome fear, embrace
love…and show myself to the world. [I]
Peer assessment: what good times I have when I am around ‘D’…[D is] able to accept, value and respect the diversity
of people…gives people a fair chance to enter his life, looking past the barriers like looks and into their hearts…[he]
was passionate about what our group presented…. His determination and unique approach to problems and
people…will ensure that he will be a strong catalyst…for sustainability on Earth. [L]
Critique (some implied) of Student Learning Experiences at UWS
Through nearly 3 ½ years of uni, my enthusiasm was quelled, imagination stunted and zeal for a fun, light-hearted job
had given way to an acceptance of institutionalised, rhetoric teaching. [E]
Social Ecology, and Learning and Creativity, are the two main subjects [within which] I have been able to discover
myself. With the majority of other subjects I am restricted … [and] have to adapt to their ways….I have permission to
use ‘I’. [M]
I have been at university for three and a half years…and have simply felt…something in my life …was missing….
social ecology allowed me to discover…every aspect of myself…[this] has begun to fill the gap. I feel as the weeks go
on I am developing as a person, into the person I want to be, not the person simply expected of me….I will forever
take this…with me everywhere. [A]
Stuart …acted as a facilitator of our learning, as opposed to…a dictator of information…. [he] enabled us to take our
own learning journey….he took up our individual strengths and interests, providing additional assistance when
necessary. This was truly empowering for me as a student, as I was finally able to break out of the discourses that I
had conformed to for so long, where the educator possesses complete power over the total learning environment.
Doing so enabled me to discover a great deal about myself as a person and as a learner…This has assisted me in
developing an increased self-confidence and self-esteem. [B]
I have come to the realisation that social ecology is not something that you study as much as something you can ‘do’
…In class each week it has not been the tedious, mind-numbing rhetoric that you get in other classes, but it is a
dynamic that we ‘did’. Each lesson I came out feeling as though I have ‘done’ something and that personally or
socially there was benefit.
The main discovery I made today was that it is up to the individual how much they get out of a class like this. There is
a wealth of knowledge circulating that room, and it is up to the learners as to what to do with it. If you want to simply
engage on a light, almost superficial way you can. However, if you want to look at it, look at its setting, and then
struggle and struggle to understand it, you can do that too. This is where I am at, and it is both oddly fulfilling, while
also incredibly frustrating. [E]
Stuart’s statement – [whether we acknowledge it or not, we teach two things, the subject and ourselves, and the most
important pedagogically is ourselves; so it is essential that we keep this instrument of teaching well tuned] –
represented a gateway to the type of learning that I had longed for…[he] was willing to…’show’ me how to ‘see’ my
world, instead of merely ‘telling’ me about my world….I had the support of an experienced and caring guide who would
respect me as an honoured citizen and not as a tourist in my own country. [F]
“Whole person experiential learning”…what a concept! Just the thought of taking charge of my own program or
agenda really stimulates my motivation….at a pace suitable to me, rather than having information presented and
dictated, with me as a sponge absorbing it all, often with little result other than pure confusion. [In contrast, I am now]
able to make my own choices, have control over my own knowledge, make my own decisions, and not let my actions
be determined by others…I feel…able to ensure each concept is mastered before progressing to the next level of
understanding, [so enabling me] to gain more knowledge and a deeper level of understanding….With such an
approach in place within society, I believe that significant changes would be seen almost immediately….[it] will
promote motivation and interest in improving social and environmental conditions all over the world, creating a more
sustainable future…at least, it would encourage me. [H]
Applications of Student Learning to Their Teaching
I used to think that I was just a student who is studying to be a teacher. I now…feel that I am a teacher, who has the
ability to change the world…to have a positive effect on the lives of students in my class, just as Stuart has had a
positive effect on my life and the rest of the class. [M]
I cannot wait to graduate and teach children about saving the world….individuals…have asked me…How?... I
responded…it is up to the teacher…it is about engaging them in what is important. [G]
The video on the Peckham Experiment showed that learning through experience is the most engaging and the most
influential of all. If I want to teach kids how to read and write (etc.) I need to engage them to the point that they don’t
feel as though they are in a ‘classroom’ any more….creating an environment in which children feel free to learn from
each other, have choices, and display their knowledge in a way that is most suitable for them….it is almost a
responsibility to provide children with an environment that is challenging, stimulating, spontaneous and memorable. [E]
The most powerful aspect of change [and learning] is that it is absolutely unique to each person’s situation and, as
such, I can make a difference that other people cannot. I need to make the difference I can, because if I don’t, who
will? I am absolutely unique, my circumstances are absolutely unique, and my potential to facilitate, continue and
guide change are absolutely unique. As such, I need to do what I can with what I have. Whether at school with
children, or wherever I am, I need to do what I can. This doesn’t mean do a little bit of something and resting easy. It
means having high expectations of myself and those around me, believing that change is possible, and following it
through and doing the hard work necessary. [E]
In just 3 days of casual teaching [which this student did towards the end of the unit] I was able [by applying what he
had learned in the unit] to help children understand the damages of smoking, both on their health and the
environment. I was able to teach children that they have the right to question the happenings in their world, question
the powers that be, and make informed decisions based on the information available. In 3 days the children learnt
about cancer, how it is treated, and how smoking affects the body and the environment. We discovered, in a
somewhat brutal way, that their parents and family members are at a much higher risk [if someone smokes within the
home]. The children then wrote to their parents and family members, expressing their love and concern for them….
Out of this, parents have stopped smoking for the sake of their children, and the children learnt that they can make a
difference, which is just what I learnt. I’m passing the flame on with the hope that they too will be inspired to change
and be active in their lives and situations, whatever this is. [E]
Currently, the system places a lot of value on teaching literacy and numeracy, and not enough on other issues….For
example, while I was on Professional Experience, my supervising teacher would always say to me, “if we have time
after maths and English you can squeeze in a few minutes of arts and crafts”. [G]
As a teacher I want to create a learning environment that is contagious, recognises the importance of spontaneity
(being ‘in the moment’), and that recognises that humans are social organisms (can create together).
· By reflecting on my own relationships and interactions with the environment…I will be better equipped to teach
children the necessary knowledge and skills to assist and encourage them to work towards…creating a more
sustainable future.
· Recognise the diverse learning styles of the children I teach and provide learning experiences that provide for
their diverse strengths, interests and needs.
· Acknowledge and value the culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds of each child and their families.
· Both good communication and professional skills are important for me to possess as an educator, not only for
working with children, but also for working with fellow educators and colleagues. [B]
Applications of Student Learning to Their Lives
Stuart introduced us to Barry Commoner’s 4 ‘laws’ of ecology:
1. everything is connected to everything else;
2. everything must go somewhere;
3. nature knows best; and
4. there is no such thing as a free lunch!
Although I could immediately identify with this…, it took me the rest of the unit (and beyond) to investigate and better
understand its full meaning. Since hearing these ‘laws’, however, everything I read, hear and participate in, both in
and outside the classroom, is filtered through these words. [F]
Stuart explained ecological processes and…examples of environmental concern. This experience allowed me to
assess my current situation…and encouraged me to improve the way I relate to…the environment….When I arrived
home that day, I went into my sunny backyard and weeded the garden, trimmed some bushes and watered the plants,
only a small effort, but one that was long overdue….Stuart’s classes…, and engagement with Ishmael [a novel by
Daniel Quinn that the students read] have allowed me to reluctantly accept responsibility for my actions and, as a
result, I have now improved my actions in relation to the environment. Some examples include minimising waste,
walking short distances rather than driving, being conscious of my rubbish disposal methods, and minimising water
usage. My hope for the future is that…if this is done [more widely] a more sustainable world may come into place for
future generations. [H]
I choose to support local and sustainable businesses with sustainable products. YEAH!!! [D]
Ishmael: prompted me to reassess my current relationship with the environment and, as a result, I have now changed
my lifestyle, taking the environment into account throughout my daily duties and actions….This realisation was
somewhat confronting initially but, upon further thinking, I accepted responsibility for this and now have adapted my
life to improve my living conditions, health and wellbeing….appreciation of others….the ways they can help and
educate me, and the ways I can positively influence their lives. Reading ‘Ishmael’ was a life-changing experience, and
a huge learning curve in my life….I now have a huge appreciation for my life, the lives of others and the world as a
whole. [H]
Now that I know that I am innately loved for my being, I can:….(an ‘enabling’ first-thoughts exercise)
· Appreciate my family more deeply
· Create a loving home environment
· Pass my love and joy on to others
· Have confidence in myself
· Develop closer connections with nature
· Realise that I am valued and important
· Make a difference in the world
Knowing [this]…will allow me to achieve all of the above goals, starting from right NOW. I believe that this can only
lead me to be a happier person and hopefully I can pass this on to others. [C]
· Be more confident in myself and helping others
· Look deeper into myself
· Live happier with myself and others
· Give willingly and expect nothing in return
Stuart then asked us all to choose one point and be more specific. I chose my last goal (my weakest area, especially
with my elder sister)…. Now…I am able to see how I can give something back to her…without expecting anything in
return. [K]
Now that I know….I approach new situations with courage and peace, I respond to conflict differently and more
positively, and I deal with pressure calmly. I am not as quick to judge others and their decisions; instead I find love
and understanding for them. I want others to know that they too are innately loved for their being, that they are
valued, adored and appreciated. [J]
Now that you know you are innately loved…who are you?
…I am me!
Who is me?
Me is vibrant colours, with crotchets and semiquavers.
Me is when I create…paint, weave, write, imagine…learn
Me is animals, the earth, the sky
Me is love, hope…vision
Me is emotion, laughter…sorrow
Me is alive
And what will you do now?
I will be ME and live as ME, in my world,
And maybe then get to know the rest of the world a little more…
…Rather COMPLICATED wouldn’t you say! [I]
Transformative Learning for Progressive Change
Professor Stuart Hill
Transformative learning is learning that enables irreversible, profound, emancipatory change for the better – in our
values, world views, beliefs, perspectives, understandings, and frameworks (or ‘meaning schemes’) for imagining,
thinking, designing, planning and acting; and in our day-to-day living and relating (to self, others, and the built and
natural world). It is the ‘highest’ level of learning: above “refining or elaborating our meaning schemes, learning new
meaning schemes, [and] transforming meaning schemes” (Jack Mezirow 1994, Understanding transformation theory,
Adult Education Quarterly, 44(4): 222-232; p. 224).
It is the sort of foundational learning that is needed globally to enable individuals to contribute significantly to
addressing our many current crises and, more importantly, to enable us to progress as a species (and as
communities, businesses, groups, families and individuals) towards ways of being and doing that are supportive of
wellbeing, ecological sustainability, social responsibility, caring, meaning and joy.
It may be precipitated by a challenge or crisis not solvable by one’s ‘old approaches’, or by a longer-term sequence of
less challenging experiences that eventually cross a ‘critical threshold of enough’ to require such a profound change.
Such changes may be self-initiated or enabled by others (including trusted and caring family members, friends,
mentors, teachers, therapists and personal development facilitators). The environments, contexts and circumstances
in which we live also play a major influencing role.
Depending on one’s personality preferences and beliefs, such changes may be experienced as primarily involving
thinking, feeling, behaviouristic, intuitive and/or spiritual experiences and processes. Thus, whereas some theorists
have emphasised critical reflection as a core part of the process, others have documented the potentially equally
important role of feelings, intuition and unconscious processes. All agree that dialogue with others is an essential
part of the process, as is deconstruction of the inadequate ‘old’, often involving a process of ‘grieving’, and
construction of a more holistically enabling ‘new’.
Such transformation often includes gaining a more profound understanding of the interrelationships between power,
gender, work and play, biology and ecology, and psychology and sociology (including historical, linguistic, political,
economic, scientific and technological aspects).
Decisions may range from all-encompassing values changes, to related acceptance of responsibility and letting-go, to
the implementation of new initiatives and the abandonment of old no longer appropriate ones.
Psychosocial outcomes may include a more aware, empowered, purposeful and discerning, grounded sense of being
(living more proactively from the inside-out, and less reactively from the outside-in); also progress towards peace,
caring, love, equity, community, wellbeing, meaning and joy (all in the broadest sense). This has most profoundly
been described as progressing towards being in a [co-evolutionary] process of mutual synthesis with one’s
environment (G Scott Williamson & Innes H Pearse 1965, ‘Science, Synthesis and Sanity’, Repr. 1980, Scottish
Academic, Edinburgh, p. 23).
Teachers may best enable such transformation by providing a “sense of safety, openness and trust”, and by
supporting “autonomy, participation and collaboration” and “activities that encourage the exploration of alternative
perspectives, problem-posing, and critical reflection” (Edward W. Taylor 1998, The theory and practice of
transformative learning: a critical review, ERIC, Columbus, OH, pp. 53-4). My particular approach to this type of
learning is described in: Hill, S. B., Wilson, S. and Watson, K. (2004). Learning Ecology: A New Approach to Learning
and Transforming Ecological Consciousness: Experiences from Social Ecology in Australia. In: Learning Toward an
Ecological Consciousness: Selected Transformative Practices, ed. E. V. O'Sullivan and M. Taylor, New York: Palgrave
Macmillan, pp. 47-64.
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