An Ethics of Wild Mind – A Conversation with David Hinton
Apr 30, 2024
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Poet and author David Hinton discusses the ecological crisis and the separation from the living world. He explores the interconnectedness of ecology, culture, and spirituality, advocating for reweaving mind and landscape. The conversation emphasizes the importance of recognizing our interconnectedness with all beings and advocates for a shift in cultural assumptions for sustainable progress.
Our separation from nature drives the current extinction, urging a reweaving of mind and landscape.
Cultures embracing eco-centric principles offer a kinship-based ethics to navigate disconnection.
Deep dives
Transformation of Self and Nature in Response to Ecological Crisis
The challenge posed by the ecological crisis lies in transforming our understanding of self and nature. David Hinton suggests that our philosophical assumptions of separation from the living world drive the current sixth extinction. By reweaving mind and landscape, embracing an ethics of love and kinship, we can navigate the era of disconnection.
Revisiting Ancient Philosophical Paradigms for Environmental Ethics
David Hinton explores the historic shift in Western and Chinese philosophical paradigms towards a more harmonious relationship with the Earth. The Native American worldview profoundly influenced European thinkers, sparking a revolution challenging human-centric beliefs. Similarly, ancient Chinese Taoism and Zen Buddhism offer eco-centric principles rooted in kinship with nature.
Cultivating a 'Wild Mind' and Reconnecting with the Earth
The concept of 'wild mind' extends beyond the physical world to encompass consciousness itself. Through practices like meditation inspired by Taoism and Zen Buddhism, individuals can rediscover their inherent connection to the Earth. By cultivating an empty mind that mirrors the cosmos, a deep sense of kinship and love for the environment emerges, guiding ethical choices.
Learning from the Sixth Extinction as a Great Teacher
The unfolding sixth extinction serves as a poignant teacher, revealing deep grief and love for the Earth. This process invites individuals to confront unexamined assumptions and awaken to a profound connection with the ecosystem. By embracing the lessons of this ecological crisis, humanity can rediscover its intrinsic kinship with the vibrant web of life.
How would our response to the ecological crisis be different if we understood that our own consciousness is as wild as the breathing Earth around us? In this conversation, poet, translator, and author David Hinton reaches back to a time when cultures were built around a reverence for the Earth and proposes that the sixth extinction we now face is rooted in philosophical assumptions about our separation from the living world. Urging us to reweave mind and landscape, he offers an ethics tempered by love and kinship as a way to navigate our era of disconnection.