ABSTRACT
As the twenty-first century begins, the media relentlessly confronts us with two complex, oppositional forces in the world: on the one hand, tribal factionalism and religious fundamentalism, and on the other, global consumerist capitalism. Benjamin Barber (1995) argues that these two forces are spawning a new cartography that transcends nation-states. Another major force, fed by globalization and population growth, is the strain on the Earth’s resources and ecosystems (Kane, 2002; Worldwatch Institute, 2004, 2005). In response, UNESCO’s “Decade of Education for Sustainable Development” and the Earth Charter offer promising frameworks for a world increasingly stressed yet increasingly lived in common. These proposals suggest that it is not enough simply to take “action steps.” Rather, we need a more comprehensive vision for understanding the systems on which our ecological and human communities depend—visions for thinking, learning, and acting.
