Course
PHIL303: Environmental Ethics as Liberatory Theory and Practice
Faculty Member
Sarah Dimaggio, Heather Cleary
Files
Download Full Text (1.1 MB)
Abstract
In the same way an addict rationalizes using their substance, environmental degradation has been framed as an unfortunate side effect of our inevitable progress towards a predetermined future. These tendencies are justified using a constructed narrative built on cultural techniques and global systems of oppression, conditioning our minds to be in a constant state of desire. By framing consumerism as an addiction, this analysis questions the source of our unbridled dysregulated desire, investigates potential harm reduction addiction interventions and applies them on a global scale as a treatment for our consumption craving. This path away from consumption dependency engages the difficulties of living simply, our fear of scarcity, and a critical long-term approach to pleasure in an attempt to imagine a future in which we consciously rehabilitate our relationship with the environment by healing our bodies and minds.
Publication Date
Spring 2023
Document Type
Research Paper
Copyright
Holly Gregory
Keywords
environmental ethics, addiction, desire, harm-reduction, voluntary simplicity, indigenous ethics, eco-feminism
Disciplines
Agricultural and Resource Economics | Psychology | Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology
Recommended Citation
Gregory, Holly, "Our Accumulation Addiction: The Harm of Overconsumption and Rehabilitation Treatments for our Minds and the Environment" (2023). Selected Undergraduate Works. 16.
https://digitalcommons.slc.edu/undergrad_selectedworks/16
Open Access
1
Included in
Agricultural and Resource Economics Commons, Psychology Commons, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Sociology Commons