Eco-Centric Worldview

What is it?

An eco-centric worldview is one that holds that Earth’s ecology and ecosystems (including its atmosphere, water, land, and all life forms) have intrinsic value—meaning they should be protected and valued even if they can’t be used by humans as resources.

It is different to current mainstream worldview of Anthropocentricism (or human-centrism)- the difference is illustrated beautifully in the diagram below which shows a human man on top of the pyramid of life on Earth in ‘Ego’ and all life as equally important in a decentralized circle of life in ‘Eco’.

This is in alignment with, and derived from Indigenous wisdom, and at ICA, we believe that indigenous thinking and learning from indigenous thought leaders can help us make the journey from EGO to ECO , as illustrated in the diagram below.

This theme underpins all work at ICA because we believe that this fundamental shift to an eco-centric worldview is the transformation that is required in the world right now - both at an individual and collective level.

The world is experiencing a climate and ecological emergency at the moment. ICA aims to work through the inner dimensions of this emergency, by shifting the current world view to an eco-centric one, helping humans to deeply adapt to collapsing systems, while developing new, regenerative systems at the same time.

ICA strategy:

In order to bring forth an earth-honouring, life affirming human presence on Earth, ICA’s strategy is to transform human relationship to the Earth both at an individual and collective level. ICA endeavours to inculcate environmental leadership that emerges from an eco-centric worldview.

ICA offers short courses and workshops in Deep Ecology, Work that Reconnects and explorations into human-nature relationships. In order to further ICA knowledge and deepen our understanding of eco-centrism, ICA research platforms will be initiated.

These platforms document eco-centric ways of relating to the Earth that already exists, from indigenous wisdom keepers, academics, rural and folk artists, farmers etc while inviting them on collaborative research journeys, the outcomes of which could be novel insights in to our relationship with nature. These insights are further incorporated in to transformational courses.

This strategy enables a robust method of continuous learning and application of the same to transform consciousness. It also enables building of a network of diverse groups of people who are committed to an Eco-centric world-view.

ICA Objectives:

• Design and develop collaborative research platforms to explore diverse perspectives (indigenous, academic, western, eastern, Indic, aboriginal, tribal, folk, art, philosophical, intellectual, embodied, oral, rural, urban, etc) on eco-centric ways of relating to the Earth to document, dialogue and collaboratively develop methodologies that weave emerging insights to transform collective consciousness.

• Design and offer transformational courses and study programs that explore human-nature relationship.

• Design and offer short courses, workshops, webinars and podcasts exploring Deep Ecology and Emotional resiliency in a climate anxious world.

• Design, develop and implement Earth- Stewardship Training : An integrated environmental leadership training that merges the inner and outer dimensions of current planetary crisis. This incorporates the stewardship model of ICA and is a bringing together of several thought leaders in climate leadership, activism, deep ecology, work that reconnects, ecological restoration, environmental, social and gender justice, body work and climate adaptation fields.

• Create platforms and spaces to creatively express collective despair and grief for the unprecedented destruction of our beautiful living world and extinction of species – in writing, art, audio-visual and live interacting formats.

• Host Work that Reconnects (WTR)- India Hub

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Contact ICA: [email protected]

ICA is a project of Social Entrepreneurship Association, a unit of the Auroville Foundation