Philosophies of Environmental Education and Democracy: Harris, Dewey, and Bateson on Human Freedoms in Nature

Abstract

An important step toward preserving the natural world is for people to adopt an ethical framework that facilitates such an effort. This is the view of this book. The problems seem to stem from difficulties Alexis de Tocqueville observed about American democracy. He warned that attitudes of materialism, individualism, and conformity could destroy the values people sought, and they encouraged people to abuse the environment. Three philosophers of education, William Torrey Harris, John Dewey, and Gregory Bateson, suggested ways to construct a set of ethics that would offset those flaws.