Understanding the connections between double bind thinking and the ecological crises: implications for educational reform

Abstract

This paper examines several reasons most professors of education are unable to recognise that the ecological crises require more than technologies that have a smaller ecological footprint. First, there is an explanation of double bind thinking where the thought patterns of the distant past are carried forward in the metaphorical language relied upon by most educators. Second, the importance of the cultural commons is discussed as representing alternatives to the hyper-levels of consumerism now contributing to the ecological crises. The role that classroom teachers and professors can play as mediators in clarifying the differences between the student's cultural commons and consumer-based experiences is also discussed.