Eco-Philosophy in an Historical Perspective

My path to Eco-philosophy led through many indirect trails—via analytical philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of technology and philosophy of man.

I came to the United States in 1964, still convinced that America was the harbinger of the future, and that technological progress was the key to all progress. My first months in Los Angeles were intoxicating if somewhat bewildering. I was constantly told that there is no further west, and that Los Angeles is it. Somehow my life in Los Angeles did not quite feel the paradise I was told I was in. I also began to notice that this wonderful progress was not as wonderful from a close range as it appeared from a distance. The freeways were always crowded. If a new one was built, it was clogged in a few months. I was told by a knowledgeable civil engineer that freeways do not relieve traffic; rather, they attract traffic. This was quite a novel way of looking at things. It began to dawn on me that this may be the case with our wonderful technologies — they do not satisfy our needs but increase them. Then came the Hippie Revolution while I was still living in Los Angeles. I actually lived off Sunset Boulevard where all manner of things were happening. Listening carefully to the voices of the young angry men at the time, I came to the conclusion that the problems of Western civilization were much deeper than we cared to acknowledge. The rebellious young souls were persistently asking me: "You are a philosopher. Tell us where we have gone wrong."

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