Living through Nature
: Capturing Interdependence and Impermanence in the Life Framework of Values
Laÿna Droz
Journal of Philosophy of Life Vol.10, No.1 (July 2020):78-97
Abstract
To collaborate across cultures to efficiently tackle global environmental problems, we need to understand better the various ways in which individuals and groups value nature through their own situated worldviews. The Life Framework of Values aims at mapping the global diversity of values under the four dimensions of living from, with, in and as nature. Yet, it still faces difficulties to capture the interdependent and ever-changing aspects of the relation of human life to nature. This paper proposes a fifth dimension: living through nature. We are living through the world, continuously interacting with our milieu, shaping it and being shaped by it. Flows keep crossing the porous and dynamic borders of our bodies and communities. Finally, the example of Dōgen’s philosophy of mutual interdependence and impermanence is presented to illustrate the dimension of living through the world.
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