Date of Award
5-2016
Degree Type
Final Project
Degree Name
Master of Arts in International Development and Social Change (IDSC)
Department
International Development, Community and Environment
Chief Instructor
Professor Jude Fernando
Second Reader
Professor Nigel Brissett
Keywords
metaphysics, worldview, consumption, food security, sustainability, Gaia Theory
Abstract
This Master's Paper relies on secondary research in addition to theoretical and philosophical arguments to show that humanity's metaphysical worldview significantly underlies its valuing systems, institutions, and behavior. The paper uses the examples of modern industrial food production and emerging organic and local alternatives to provide a comparative analysis between fundamental worldviews and how they influence the way human systems originate and function. It is argued that the change required to address substantial and interconnected global issues will require a re-evaluation and scrutiny of the metaphysical assumptions inherent in the politics and practice of agriculture, food processing, and the very act of eating itself.
This paper ultimately connects the modern metaphysical worldview to the spread of neoliberal capitalism and offers evidence that the current globalizing capitalist economy cannot be sustained indefinitely. The space behind our individual thinking dictates what we value, prioritize, and the ways in which we behave and perceive each other and the world. Social change in the form of a metaphysical shift in worldview is required to bring about the mandatory evolution of global society including but not limited to the creation of a sustainable food production-consumption paradigm.
Recommended Citation
Graft, Wyatt Lee, "The Gaian-Inspired Systems View of Life: A Systemic Approach to Global Crises A Case Study: How Scientific Worldviews Influence Global Food Systems" (2016). Sustainability and Social Justice. 70.
https://commons.clarku.edu/idce_masters_papers/70
Included in
Environmental Studies Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons
