Western identity practices, not being human, cause nature’s destruction
Evidence
But this approach should not be confused with the critique of the way human identity has been treated in particular influential cultures such as western culture. According to the way of understanding the critique developed here, it is the development in certain cultures, especially and originally western culture, of a particular concept and practice of human identity and relationship to nature which is the problem, not the state of being human as such. — Val Plumwood, Feminism and the Mastery of Nature, 73
Categorization
- DEFINE: Establishes the important analogy between ‘human beings as problem’ and ‘males as problem’ versus cultural constructions — species vs. identity-practice.
- XREF: Parallels Merchant’s move of locating blame in western mechanistic/dualism culture rather than species-wide tendency. — connects to: Old oppressions stored as dualisms pave the way for new ones. — Val Plumwood, Feminism and the Mastery of Nature, 181; Individual identity resists destruction because it depends on nature beyond the will