Towards the possibility of transforming consumer culture into ecological civilization

Authors

  • Richard Sťahel Institute of Philosophy, Slovak Academy of Science, 19, Klemensova, Bratislava, 81109, Slovak Republic
  • Slávka Tomaščíková Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, 9, Moyzesova, Košice, 04001, Slovak Republic

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu17.2021.409

Abstract

The article analyzes the prospects of ecological civilisation in a media-driven society at the end of the 20th century and the first two decades of the 21st century. The self-identity of the individual is now formed within the culture-ideology of consumerism, which is defined by the excessive production and consumption of all kinds of goods and services. Public policies of this period are shaped by neoliberal principles emphasizing the individuals’ benefit and their profit. The result of such a culture is an intensification of environmental and social destruction at the planetary level. Almost unlimited support for the growth of production and consumption faces the limits of the planetary system, its capacity to provide resources for continued growth, and to absorb pollution. Consequently, humanity faces the instability and unpredictability of the Anthropocene. From a philosophical point of view, the global environmental crisis opens up the problem of justifying regulations restricting the freedom of unlimited production and consumption. The concept of ecological culture or ecological civilization which is developing in contemporary China can be considered as the opposite of the culture-ideology of consumerism. It emerged in China in the mid-1980s as a response to the Soviet-formulated model of ‘green culture.’ This concept integrates several ‘Western’ concepts of sustainable development, eco-Marxism, ecological democracy, but it also incorporates several traditional Chinese philosophical concepts and thus can be perceived as part of the renaissance of traditional Chinese ways of thinking and interpreting the world. The question is whether the concept of ecological civilization is a real alternative to consumer culture. If the answer to this question is affirmative, then the possibilities of transforming the culture of consumption into an ecological civilization analysed in the article should be considered as trends of sustainable development.

Keywords:

media-driven society, culture-ideology of consumerism, environmental devastation, social destruction, Anthropocene, ecological civilization

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References


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Published

2021-12-31

How to Cite

Sťahel, R., & Tomaščíková, S. (2021). Towards the possibility of transforming consumer culture into ecological civilization. Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies, 37(4), 694–705. https://doi.org/10.21638/spbu17.2021.409

Issue

Vol. 37 No. 4 (2021): Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies

Section

Cultural studies

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Articles of "Vestnik of Saint Petersburg University. Philosophy and Conflict Studies" are open access distributed under the terms of the License Agreement with Saint Petersburg State University, which permits to the authors unrestricted distribution and self-archiving free of charge.