Criticism On The Idea Of Progress In Western Environmental History And Ethics

The history of ideas is a highly creative and productive field in contemporary Western scholarship.It is also an interdisciplinary field involving history,philosophy,literature and many other disciplines.Western scholars systematically studied the origins and stages of development of many ideas and clarified their meanings for both popular and academic understanding.Concepts such as“culture”,“civilization”,“nature”,“humanism”,“freedom”,“happiness”,“travel”,etc.have all come under scrutiny.“Progress”is a core idea of modern Western humanism and one of the most common concepts in both academic and popular discourses.The 18~thh and 19~thh centuries were the golden age of the idea of progress.But the two world wars had a tremendous impact on Western culture,leading to the first comprehensive reflection of the idea of progress from the perspective of political philosophy in academic circles.After the 1960s,with the emergence of the environmental crisis,reflection and criticism of the idea of historical progress were pushed to another high point.The rapid development of environmental history and environmental ethics inspired more thorough reflection on conventional views on human history.This thesis examines most recent developments in Western thinking on the idea of progress by studying the most influential works in environmental history and environmental ethics.The paper points out that environmental history and ethics in Western countries have become the most dynamic area of critical thinking in the contemporary world,and criticism of the idea of progress is both profound and effective in reaching a wider audience.Drawing on facts of environmental destruction,Western scholars in environmental history and environmental ethics have challenged the dominant culture of competition and growth.Studying the newest thinking in the West in this area can help China appreciate the complexity of modern life and seek more responsible ways to develop the economy.