Earth community Quote by David Abram
““Ecologically considered, it is not primarily our verbal statements that are "true" or "false," but rather the kind of relations that we sustain with the rest of nature. A human community that lives in a mutually beneficial relation with the surrounding earth is a community, we might say, that lives in truth. The ways of speaking common to that community—the claims and beliefs that enable such reciprocity to perpetuate itself—are, in this important sense, true . They are in accord with a right relation between these people and their world. Statements and beliefs, meanwhile, that foster violence toward the land, ways of speaking that enable the impairment or ruination of the surrounding field of beings, can be described as false ways of speaking—ways that encourage an unsustainable relation with the encompassing earth. A civilization that relentlessly destroys the living land it inhabits is not well acquainted with truth, regardless of how many supported facts it has amassed regarding the calculable properties of its world.””
About This Quote
Source Lecture: Ecological Philosophy, 2015
Truth is defined by the quality of our relationship with nature, not by factual accuracy; sustainable relations embody truth, while exploitative discourse is false.
In simple terms: Truth is how we relate to nature, not just words.
Cultivate relationships that respect the earth.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- environmental activism
- policy making
- education curricula
- community building
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How do your daily choices reflect your relation to nature?
- What language promotes sustainable living?
False statements can still cause harm if they support destructive practices.