Primitive humanity stood in awe at the splendor, the majesty, and the power of nature. Humankind was dependent upon the whims of nature’s power. Survival depended upon the food, water and shelter that the biosphere provided. The human species learned to respect the power of the natural world through the experience of participating in nature.

Ethical judgment is a long term practicality that recognizes limits, fallibility, and ignorance. Humanity in its early days touched its bare feet to the ground. It felt the earth’s heartbeat and listened to its breathing. Survival was dependent upon the growth of intellect. Understanding, accord and harmony was born through experiential time.

In today’s fast paced world, people have faith in tomorrow. They assume blindly that the creative genius of humankind will prevail through technology. Technology, the offspring of intellect, has enhanced our modern day lives measurably. Our world has been made larger as we have managed to embrace more of it. Our lives have been made easier as we have been able to control the natural world. But we have forgotten that at one time the natural world controlled us.

Today, the notion of progress is wrapped up in automobiles, computers, televisions, DVDs, cell phones, satellites, skyscrapers, processed foods, Doctorate degrees, nuclear weapons, corporate farming, and so on.

There is no end to intellectual pursuit and the creative mind. It is not unusual modern ethics to obsess with intellectual possibilities. This is true regardless of whether these actions are desirable in the pursuit of progress. Some believed that detonating an atomic bomb would start a chain reaction. They feared it would destroy the entire planet. Nevertheless, the detonation was done. Because some consequences can’t be predicted, the exercise of intelligence requires mindfulness and a sense of limits.

Abusing natural resources, eroding soils, and polluting water sources can’t be called ethical progress. Destroying natural diversity and wasting resources also lack ethical justification. Failing to replenish what has been used for technological advancement is unethical. Yet in the modern world, these consequences of progress are acknowledged as unethical by only a handful of conscientious objectors.

We use our minds and resources to pursue intellectual solutions to problems. This has freed us from the burden of seeing our interdependence. It has also freed us from acknowledging our indebtedness to the natural world. From the modern perspective, we can’t see clearly how dependent we are on the “services of nature.” We are also dependent on the wider community of life.

Our growing computer capabilities lie side by side with our decaying inner cities, insensate violence and destruction of natural habitats. There is a pressing need for decent communities. We need good work to do and loving relationships. Stable families are crucial, along with the knowledge necessary to restore what we have damaged. We also need ways to replenish our natural resources. Our blind sided intellect fails to see the growing mind and the dying body.

David Orr asks the questions,

“Could it be that the ‘integrity, stability, and beauty’ of nature is the wellspring of human intelligence? Could it be that the conquest of nature, however clever, is in fact a war against the source of mind? Could it be that the systematic homogenization of nature inherent in contemporary technology and economics is undermining human intelligence?

David points out that biological diversity is the source. It is what makes us human in the first place. Elemental things like flowing water, wind, trees, and clouds inspire thought. Rain, mist, mountains, and flowers play a role. Animals, the night sky, and the mystery of birth and death contribute. These elements gave birth to language. How will human intelligence survive cut off from its source?

We must redirect our intelligence to serve the restoration of this planet. It is crucial to focus on the sources that sustain our lives. Otherwise, we will not achieve ethical progress. We must acknowledge our dependence on all the “services of nature.” Only then can we sustain life and achieve ethical progress.