Philosophers' Biosphere Conversation

The first of the Biosphere Conversation Series at The Ecolodge brought together a range of people, representing traditional knowledge, philosophy, science, ecology, the arts and politics, in four free-ranging discussions of the ways in which environmental value is understood and interpreted. This exploration of the first principles governing widely-separated positions on the environment (from wilderness preservation to resource-extraction, and everything in between) resulted in a deeper understanding (if not total agreement) on the main springs of conflict besetting the political handling of environmental issues in British Columbia.

Preliminary to any attempt to settle such conflicts is the ability of stakeholders to speak a shared language, so that the ways in which they value the surroundings which provide them with both a dwelling and a living, whether they call these surroundings "Nature" or "natural resources," can be compared. Even among those who share ecological agendas, it soon became apparent that the grounds on which they base their political convictions are diverse, ranging from spiritual to scientific, from conservative to radical. A significant amount of attention was paid to ways of rendering these diverse formulations clear, and to exploring the overlaps between them.

Such general and abstract questions, even when answered, do not translate immediately into action-plans, but there were decisions made about the future direction of the series. The second session will take place in early Fall, and will look specifically at the levers of political action, locally and provincially, which might be accessed to bring greater mutual respect to debates about the environment, and to promote environmental concern in the complex context of contemporary life. An edited sound recording of the first set of discussions will be produced during the summer.

- Dr. John Black
Director
Alexandro Malaspina Research Centre