ABSTRACT
Philosophy explains and influences the shared values of cultures and provides a way to interpret the forces that guide cultural perspectives. This chapter examines some of the philosophies which underpin western relationships with nature, and by reflection, contemporary corporate environmental reporting. It discusses some of the more prominent ways the natural world has been understood in western culture. Ecofeminism and deep ecology can both be traced back to aspects of Aristotelian thought which reflect the context of the moral agents. In contrast to the metaphorical separation integral to dualism, interconnectivity is a concept which is widely drawn from in contemporary environmental philosophy. The philosophies of Ancient Greece planted seeds from which many of the West’s current attitudes have grown. The distinction between humans and nature was further amplified as Christianity colonised western thought. The relationship between philosophy and the treatment of the natural world has been demonstrated through the multiple lenses of interconnectivity, dualism and transcendence.
