STUDY QUESTIONS

John Clark
“A Social Ecology”
In Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology, 2nd ed., 416-440.

1. Throughout the essay, Clark uses the term "dialectical." What does he mean by this term? How does he use it -- what are the different contexts in this article that he uses the term? (There are many.)

2. What does Clark say are the achievements Murray Bookchin? How does he criticize Bookchin?

3. What is Clark’s view of naturalistic teleology?”

4. What is Clark’s holism? Why does he say it avoids all “centrisms?” What is his view of the terms community and organism to describe holism? What does “totalizing” mean and how does he respond to criticisms that say holism is totalizing? What is a “ holon” and what significance does it have for his holistic view?

5. What is Clark’s view of the spiritual? What does Clark mean by “ground of being?” What signficance does that have for social ecology?

6. What is Clark’s view of self? What does he mean by “chaos within” and how is that significant? What does he mean by “self-transcendence?”

7. For Clark, what is our relationship to nature – are we part of nature or different from it? What is the significance of the quote by David Abrams? What is meant by “nature is perceiving itself through us? How is this idea related to an “objectifying” view of nature?

8. What does he mean by “an ecology of the imagination?” What are the three main dimensions of a social institution? What does he mean by “counter-imaginary” and “economism?” What are the four counter-imaginaries?

9. What does Clark mean by “freedom?” Is an atom “free?” How does his view of freedom differ from Bookchin’s?

10. In what areas do you agree with Clark? Why? How do you disagree with him?

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