（英语语言文学专业论文）论《寂静的春天》中的深层生态学思想.pdf

ma thesis ningbo university i 论寂静的春天中的深层生态学思想 摘 要 美国海洋生物学家和作家蕾切尔卡森的寂静的春天在 1962 年一出版立刻 引起全国性轰动和全民性大讨论时至今日该作品已被奉为世界环境文学的经典之 作并在美国被推选为 20 世纪下半期影响最大的书 因为正是这部划时代的作品扭 转了人类思想的方向使生态思想深入人心直接推动了世界范围的生态思潮和环保 运动的发生和发展一部反映杀虫剂问题的非小说类科普作品获得如此的殊荣是前所 未有的这也引起了众多学者的兴趣国内外虽已有评论关注卡森的生态思想但对 其分析却不够全面和深入 本文从寂静的春天文本出发对卡森的生态思想进行全面考察并认为卡森 关于自然的深层思考直接影响了当代生态哲学特别在深层生态学中不断得到体现 首先通过对滥用杀虫剂进行无情地揭露卡森展示了现代技术文明对自然生态的破 坏批判了这种依靠科学技术来征服统治自然的生活方式及价值观念并由此表达 出生态学的一个基本观点即生物圈中的一切存在物都拥有生存和繁荣的平等权 利它们之间并不存在绝对的界限所有的事物都是相互联系在一起的如果我们伤 害了自然界的其余部分我们就将伤害我们自己其次通过对自然的深层思考卡 森表达了对人类精神生态的关注一味的杀伐掠夺征服自然加剧人的物化使人的 道德感与同情心历史感与使命感丧失殆尽 严重妨碍了人的精神成长与人格完善 人们无法实现与其他自然物的认同从而无法在更大的自然整体中认识和实现自己 基于以上讨论本文认为卡森对自然生态与精神生态的关注与思考对当代的深 层生态学产生了深刻的影响与启发 将人们对环境问题的思考导向一个新的深度 即探索人类思想文化如何影响甚至决定人类对自然的态度和行为如何导致自然 生态的恶化进而影响人类自身精神生态的健康在中国大力提倡建立和谐社会的今 天重探卡森的生态思想对于构建人与自然文明与环境的和谐都具有一定的借鉴 和启发意义 关键词关键词蕾切尔卡森 寂静的春天 深层生态学思想 自我实现 生态中心平等 ma thesis ningbo university i on the deep ecological consciousness in rachel carsons silent spring abstract rachel carsons silent spring is now recognized as one of the truly important books of the 20th century. it was a landmark in the development of an ecological perspective, and it did much to accelerate the new environmentalism and generated the most widespread public consideration of environmental ethics. since its publication in 1962, silent spring has been discussed in many articles and books, however, few have focused on comprehensive or academic studies of her ecological thinking, or her ecophilosophy in silent springsome touched on the surface of carsons ecological thinking and some only analyzed her non-anthropocentric view toward nature. this thesis thus aims to conduct a systematic study of carsons ecological thinking in which her deep ecological consciousness is of primary importance, and to find out how and to what extent the deep ecology movement was inspired by carsons book. due to the influence of albert schweitzers “reverence for life” principle, carson develops a respect and concern for all life forms, and gets in touch with nature physically as well as spiritually. for one hand, she concerns the physical health of the ecosphere. she believes that every life form has in principle a right to live and blossom, and we humans have no right to destroy other living beings without sufficient reason. and she is also well aware of the rich interrelatedness of all living organisms. we humans, together with other living organisms, are just parts of the interconnected web of life. hence, in silent spring, the indiscriminate pesticide use and the technologically engineered control of nature were intensely criticized. for the other hand, carson is equally concerned with the spiritual health of humans. since humans and nature are originally interrelated, inflicting unnecessary suffering and causing unnecessary loss of non-human life are morally wrong. these actions will diminish us as a human being and block our spiritual growth. carson firmly believes humans spiritual growth can not be achieved without the understanding and appreciation of other living beings, and if we can identify with other life forms and extend ourselves to include them, our spirit will grow and self-realization will be fulfilled. based on the above analysis, this thesis draws a conclusion that carson is a person who not only concerns the physical health of ecosystem, but also concerns peoples spiritual growth and moral improvement. her ideas of self-realization and ecocentric equality give much enlightenment to deep ecology movement, and might shed light on what humans should do with the relationship ma thesis ningbo university i with themselves and nature and the connection between civilization and environment in nowadays background. key wordsrachel carson, silent spring, deep ecological consciousness, self- realization, ecocentric equality 独独 创创 性性 声声 明明 本人郑重声明所呈交的论文是我个人在导师指导下进行的研究工 作及取得研究成果尽我所知除了文中特别加以标注和致谢的地方 外论文中不包含其他人已经发表或撰写的研究成果也不包含为获得 宁波大学或其他教育机构的学位或证书所使用过的材料与我一同工作 的同志对本研究所做的任何贡献均已在论文中做了明确的说明并表示了 谢意 签名_ 日期_ 关于论文使用授权的声明关于论文使用授权的声明 本人完全了解宁波大学有关保留使用学位论文的规定即学校 有权保留送交论文的复印件允许论文被查阅和借阅学校可以公布论 文的全部或部分内容可以采用影印缩印或其他复制手段保存论文 保密的论文在解密后应遵循此规定保密的论文在解密后应遵循此规定 签名_ 导师签名_ 日期_ ma thesis ningbo university - 1 - 1 introduction 1.1 significance of the topic global environmental conditions have reached a dangerous crossroads as the new century begins. indiscriminate dumping of toxic, nuclear, and biomedical waste and environmental disasters of enormous scale have begun to cut deep scars into the earths ecosystem and disrupt its delicate ecological balance. english famous eco-writer jonathan bate presents these grim environmental threats as follows: carbon dioxide produced by the burning of fossil fuels is trapping the heat of the sun, causing the planet to become warmer. glaciers and permafrost are melting, sea levels rising, rainfall patterns changing, winds growing stronger. meanwhile, the oceans are overfished, deserts are spreading, forests shrinking, fresh water becoming scarcer. the diversity of species upon the planet is diminishing. (bate, 2000, p.24). global environment outlook 2000, a report provided by united nations environment program, also documenting the continuing deterioration of the world environmentthe greenhouse effect, ozone layer depletion, desertification, exponential human population growth, air and water pollution, the pollution of the worlds oceans, loss of topsoil, the continuing loss of ancient forests throughout the world, and the rate of species extinction (which it estimates at 140 per day) never before has the human community been confronted with such a situation under the threat of a comprehensive degradation of the planet. eco-criticism appeared in such a background. it is a study of the relationship between literature and the environment, and also a response to needs and crises. it is a response to the need for humanistic understanding of our relationships with the natural world in an age of environmental destruction. in large part, environmental crises are a result of humanitys disconnection from the natural world, brought about not only by increasing technology but also by our human-centered culture. therefore, eco-criticism calls for a cultural change. in this sense, it is not just a means of analyzing nature in literature; it implies a move toward a more ecocentric world-view, an extension of ethics, a broadening of humans conception of global community to include nonhuman life forms and the physical environment. just as feminist and african american literary criticism call for a change in culture, so does ecological literary criticism. it advocates for cultural change by examining how the narrowness of our cultures assumptions about the nature has limited our ability to envision an ecologically harmonious society, how our culture, life styles and modes of ma thesis ningbo university - 2 - development affect, or even determine our attitude toward nature, and how they ultimately lead to the degradation of environment and ecological crisis. eco-criticism believes the cause of global ecological crisis does not lie in the ecosystem itself, but in our culture system. in such circumstances, only ecological wisdom can help people get through the predicament. deep ecology is developed on the basis of such knowledge. its basic premises are a belief in the intrinsic value of nonhuman nature and the interrelatedness of all systems of life on earth, a belief that anthropocentrism is a misguided way of seeing things. it questions the fundamental premises and values of contemporary civilization. deep ecologists believe that an ecocentric attitude is more consistent with the truth about the nature of life on earth. instead of regarding humans as something completely unique, they see humans as integral threads in the fabric of life. they believe we need to develop a less dominating and aggressive posture towards the earth if we and the planet are to survive. deep ecology offers an alternate approach to view the environment. hence, it is a new task for literary studies to explore the text from a deep ecological perspective, which is also the case with the studies of silent spring. silent spring is written by rachel carson, a renowned nature writer and a marine biologist. she had the unusual ability to make science accessible to the public through her clear but precise writing and stimulated interest in the natural world. so when the spraying of pesticides and herbicides was causing wholesale destruction of wildlife and its habitat, and clearly endangering human life, carson decided that she had to speak out. silent spring meticulously described how ddt entered the food chain and accumulated in the fatty tissues of animals, including human beings, and caused cancer and genetic damage. a single application on a crop killed insects for weeks and months, and not only the targeted insects but countless more, and remained toxic in the environment even after it was diluted by rainwater. carson concluded that ddt and other pesticides had irrevocably harmed birds and animals and had contaminated the entire world food supply. the books most haunting and famous chapter, “a fable for tomorrow,” depicted a nameless american town where all life, from fish to birds to apple blossoms to human children, had been “silenced” by the insidious effects of ddt. her work led to a special investigation by president john f. kennedys science advisory committee, which confirmed her conclusions, and eventually led to the formation of the environmental protection agency (epa) and the banning of ddt. it aroused a new public awareness that nature was vulnerable to human intervention. it also did much to accelerate the new environmentalism and generated the most widespread public consideration of environmental ethics to that date. silent spring is now recognized as one of the landmark books of the 20th century. since its publication in 1962, silent spring has been discussed in many articles and books, however, a great deal of these discussion has involved criticism of continuing indiscriminate use of pesticides, or comments on carsons literary grace, comprehensive or academic studies concerning her ecological thought, or her ecophilosophy in silent spring are rare, especially in china. ma thesis ningbo university - 3 - ecophilosophy, as is claimed by alan drengson, “means ecologically wise action and ecological wisdom” (drengson, 1990, p.1). it is wisdom of nature. nature has walked side by side with humans since their birthday. but what is the relationship between humans and nature? what is the connection between civilization and natural environment? can they both survive, or does one have to give way to the other? these are some of the great and ancient questions that people have asked constantly. they are also the questions that ecophilosophy should firstly make clear. this thesis offers an approach to the understanding of nature that is related with answers to these questions provided apparently in rachel carsons works and life. it aims to explore carsons ecological views in silent spring from the perspective of modern deep ecology theory, and to find out how and to what extent the deep ecology movement in 1980s was inspired by this book. this study may provide some reference for the eco-criticism on literary works. for silent spring, many researchers tend to over-emphasize the horrible scenes caused by the pesticides which carson revealed in this book, or meticulously analyze carsons rhetorical strategies and literary grace, or explore her ecological consciousness from the perspective of environmental ethics. however, with the deep ecological perspective, we may figure out some deeper implications of this book. in silent spring, carsons indictment of the indiscriminate use of pesticides raised overall questions about the serious threats posed by the fruits of modern technology to human health. but since she was a lover of nature and inspired by the science of ecology and albert schweitzers “reverence for life” principle, her concerns went deeper to encompass a respect and concern for the biological integrity of the earth and all its species. as a result, in silent spring, carson questioned the direction and goals of western society, including the human competence and “right” to dominate and manage the earth. more generally, she posed a philosophical challenge to the anthropocentrism of western culture. she claimed that “the control of nature is a phrase conceived in arrogance, born of neanderthal age of biology and philosophy, when it was supposed that nature exists for the convenience of man”(carson, 1962, p.261).1 my research is conducted in the broad discipline of eco-criticism and cultural criticism. by using silent spring as a case study, this thesis raises some important questions concerning carsons ecological thinking: as a marine biologist, what is carsons attitude toward modern science and technology? how does schweitzers reverence for life principle affect her? how do her ecological ideas develop on the basis of schweitzers principle? and how is her deep ecological consciousness reflected in silent spring? is the “biotic approach” posed by her a good solution to the environmental problems, or is it another catastrophe following the chemical approach? in order to answer these questions, this thesis carries out a systematic study in which it draws attention to carsons ideas of self-realization and ecocentric equality reflected in silent spring, and in addition puts her ecological thinking into a broad social-cultural context for further consideration. 1 in this thesis, all the quotations of silent spring are from the 1962 edition. ma thesis ningbo university - 4 - 1.2 organization of the thesis this thesis consists of six chapters. chapter one introduces the reasons why i choose this topic and the significance of the research. chapter two reviews the main areas of literature that have informed and inspired me during this research, which indeed provide a great deal of worthwhile information and a solid foundation for my study, and this chapter also includes my own perspective on carsons deep ecological consciousness reflected in silent spring. chapter three includes the gradual development of environmental ethics in which the emphasis is put on deep ecology, while the principles, norms and philosophical roots of it are also introduced in this chapter. by reviewing the development of environmental ethics, it presents a point that carsons deep ecological consciousness does not come from nowhere, it is developed on the solid basis of former theories, such as schweitzers “reverence for life” principle and leopolds “land ethic.” chapter four conducts an exhaustive study on the buds of deep ecological consciousness in carsons work, in which self-realization and ecocentric equality are its essence. by applying deep ecology principles to analyzing the text, it draws a conclusion that carson is a great forerunner of deep ecology movement, her ideas of eco-diversity and intrisic value of species lead to the rapid flourishing of environmental movement and deep ecology movement in 1970s. chapter five analyzes the great impact of silent spring on world environmentalism. the book contributes a lot to the popularization of ecological concepts and transformation of the ideas of environmental ethics into public consciousness, and the new activism put forward by carson has grown into one of the great popular forces. in addition, carsons “biotic control”approach has greatly inspired the biological engineering of our time. chapter six is the conclusion which summarizes the principle views of the thesis. ma thesis ningbo university - 5 - 2 literature review 2.1 studies of deep ecology deep ecology is a philosophy that has become an environmental movement that was initiated by a famous norwegian philosopher arne naess (1912- ). it portrays itself as deep, because it asks deeper questions than other environmental philosophies, and it calls for a complete overhaul of the way humans think about and live on the earth. it thinks that todays human thought patterns and social organizations are inadequate to deal with the population-resource-environmental crisis, and determines to bring about a major paradigm shifta shift in perception, values, and lifestyles, as a basis for redirecting the ecologically destructive path of modern industrial societies. arne naess is not the first to dream up the idea of a radical change in humanitys relationship to nature, but he coins the term “deep ecology” and helps to give it a theoretical foundation. in 1972, naess first used the term “deep ecology” in his essay “the shallow and the deep, long- range ecology movements: a summary.” he defines deep ecology by contrasting it with shallow ecology: shallow ecology movement is a short-term anthropocentric reform approach preoccupied with “pollution, resource depletion,” and concerned mainly with “the health and affluence of people in the developed countries.” it does not challenge the philosophical presuppositions and fundamental correctness of the industrial social paradigm of reality. however, the deep ecology movement, favors “the relational, total-field image, rejecting the man-in-environment image”(naess, 1995a, p.151). it sees the world not as a collection of isolated objects but as a network of phenomena that are fundamentally interconnected and interdependent. just as capra puts it, deep ecology recognizes the intrinsic value of all living beings and views human beings “as just one particular strand in the web of life” (qtd. in oderberg, 1998). it aims to propose a major realignment of our philosophical worldview, culture, and lifestyles, consistent with the new ecolo