ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 is a comprehensive chapter that discusses the ‘Great Divide’ in worldview between anthropocentrism and ecocentrism. First it considers the meanings of: worldview, ethics, value, and ideology. It discusses why changing worldview is essential for social change in regard to protecting nature. It then focuses on Western society’s key problem – anthropocentrism, discussing its definition and history, then its impracticality, as anthropocentrism is a ‘dead end’. It then considers the psychology of anthropocentrism, which encourages paranoia, fear, and denial (a major obstacle to change). The chapter then moves to discussion of ecocentrism, discussing its historical roots, then answers the question as to whether it is ‘anti-human’. It then focuses on the intrinsic value of nature and how people discover value in nature that is already there. The chapter then discusses the need for a guiding ‘Hierarchy of intrinsic value’, especially in regard to management of invasive species. The chapter concludes by arguing that moving from the worldview of anthropocentrism to ecocentrism is a critical issue of our times.
