Session 9: Social Ecology & Deep Ecology 

Students participating in this class session will prepare their homework assignments and post their responses in Drop box 9 on the course lesson board by 5:00 p.m. on the Sunday evening immediately following each on-campus class meeting. However, all class readings must be completed prior to class convening to insure students can participate in class discussion.  Remember you are required to know the answers to each and every one of these questions for the Comprehensive Exam.

Viewing Assignment

Mark Steel Lectures on Marx (Parts 1, 2, & 3) Peter Singer on Hegel and Marx. (Watch all 5 Parts)

Additional background videos to view at your discretion: The French Revolution of 1848 (Video) Brendan M. Cooney of Kapitalism 101 in Felix the Cat and Capitalist Competition (Parts 1 & 2) [beware the language of this video is sometimes coarse]; Brendan M. Cooney in Where Does Profit Come From?  (Parts 1 & 2) and Who is Exploited?

Reading Assignments: 

Wimberley Text: Chapter 3;  Murray Bookchin (1987) "Social Ecology Versus Deep Ecology"

Text Discussion Questions

Pick six questions to answer between questions 1-13. Students participating in this class session will prepare their homework assignments and post their responses in Drop box 9 on the course lesson board by 5:00 p.m. on the Sunday evening immediately following each on-campus class meeting. However, all class readings must be completed prior to class convening to insure students can participate in class discussion.  Remember you are required to know the answers to each and every one of these questions for the Comprehensive Exam.

1.    What political perspective did the social ecologist Murray Bookchin assume?

2.    What about Bookchin’s work has thwarted its widespread acceptance in the ecological community?

3.    How does John Clark’s understanding of social ecology differ from his mentor Murray Bookchin?

4.    What is meant by the term “the dynamic unity of diversity”?

5.    How does Amati Etzioni conceptualize a “communitarian” approach to social ecology?

6.    How does Wimberley conceptualize social ecology? Please explain.

7.    Daniel Chodorkoff takes a “community development” perspective on social ecology. Please describe his approach.

8.    How does Wendell Berry approach social ecology?

9.    What historically significant philosopher’s name is associated with the interpretation of the nature of human beings as being “sanguine”?  Please explain.

10. What historically significant philosopher’s name is associated with the interpretation of the nature of human beings as being “dour”? Please explain.

11. Describe Thomas Hobbes’ understanding of the nature of human beings.

12. How does Hobbes’ perspective differ from that of a communitarian perspective on human nature?

13. Describe Wimberley’s four-fold infrastructure for social ecology.

Video Questions

Pick six questions between questions 1-21. Students participating in this class session will prepare their homework assignments and post their responses in Drop box 9 on the course lesson board by 5:00 p.m. on the Sunday evening immediately following each on-campus class meeting. However, all class readings must be completed prior to class convening to insure students can participate in class discussion.  Remember you are required to know the answers to each and every one of these questions for the Comprehensive Exam.

1.    How did “history” play a central role in Hegel’s philosophy?

2.    Describe Hegel’s dialectical process.

3.    What was the flaw in Hegel's dialectic process?

4.    What was Marx's perspective on religion?

5.    Describe the two classes in conflict with one another.

6.    What was the 1848 revolution and what was its significance?

7.    What is the difference between "dead" and "live" labor?

8.    Explain the value of technology to capitalists?

9.    What in particular does Marx most despise about capitalism?

10. What does “the real is the rational, the rational is the real” mean?

11. What is meant by the falling rate of profit?

12. What is the difference between constant and variable capital? 

13. How does money grow in a capitalist model?

14. How is it that some might argue that Hegel’s philosophy ultimately results in the authoritarian state?

15. What does Hegel have in mind by what he refers to as an organic society?

16. How did Hegel’s followers split upon his death? Please explain.

17. Describe Marx’s materialistic conception of history and describe how this differed  from Hegel’s perspective.

18. In Marx’s philosophy what does mankind need to do to realize freedom?

19. How did the ideas of Hegel and Marx relate to those of Darwin?

20. How did Hegel and Marx’s ideas influence the contemporary notion of freedom?

21. How is it that the ideas of Hegel and Marx have become associated with totalitarianism?