Historical and philosophical foundation of the interdependence of gender and environmental ideas

• Main Author: K. I. Karpenko
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Publishing House "Grani" 2016-03-01
• Series: Granì
• Subjects: гендерний паритет; традиція; неокласичний підхід; інструментальний розум; комунікативний розум
• Online Access: https://grani.org.ua/index.php/journal/article/view/377

The article analyzes the historical and philosophical background of the interdependence of modern gender and ecological ideas in the context of philosophical concepts of F.V. J. Schelling, M. Scheler, L. Mumford, J. Lotman, J. Habermas and others. Study emphasized that the perception of women and natural world as the passive resources is rooted in the neoclassical approach. The gender approach overcomes the negative ecological trends. It reinvents the correlation between instrumental and communicative reason. On the one hand, the origins of instrumental rationality are more associated with men, and, on the other hand, communicative rationality is more connected with women’s activity. This is that what gives the rise to call a culture that focuses on the lives as the mainly women’s culture. For example, when the task is to group or inspire people to achieve important social objectives, then society spreads out the strategies of sexual opposition. There are a lot of evidences that can be found in religious and general cultural, political and everyday traditions. The most obvious of them is the prohibition of sexual relations between husband and wife on the eve of sowing or hunting. Alternatively, for biological survival of the human species, for its strengthening, the convergence strategy of sexual unity has been used. But in society it should be the strengthening of solidarity relations, namely, mutual understanding, recognition, support, and parity. Consequently, the gender approach to contemporary environmental issues demonstrates the innovative interpretation of classical historical and philosophical foundation. Gender explanation is based on such values as cooperation, empathy and education, stemming from a relational perspective that elevates the role of the feminine principle in culture. It pays tribute to intuition and spontaneity in the processes of social changes, because they expand the creative space for finding the new solutions to environmental problems.