Abstract
The term ‘anthropocentrism’ is widely used to indicate a key cause of environmental destruction. While this may be a reasonable first approximation, I argue that it conceals more fundamental causes, disguising the effects of those emergent properties of the industrialist system which not only devastate and commodify ‘external’ nature but also colonize human being and enlist us as agents of industrialism. The essentials of this system are identifiable as early as the late medieval era, and decisions reached then have become sedimented into contemporary life in ways that are seldom conscious. The concept of anthropocentrism, then, serves the ideological purpose of deflecting awareness away from the invasive character of industrialism, hindering understanding of the predicament of both human and nonhuman nature.
Published Version
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