A Study Of William Leiss' Ecological Marxism

Ecological Marxism which is one of the most influential ideological trends in contemporary western Marxism originated in the 1960 s.Ecological Marxism advocates using Marxist methodology to analyze the ecological problems and social problems in reality,and aims to find a win-win way that can solve the ecological crisis and promote the development of human society.William Leiss' Ecological Marxism in ecological Marxism has the essential historical status.The time background of William Leiss' Ecological Marxism is the outbreak of the ecological crisis,the vigorous development of green movement and the shortcomings of the pattern of Soviet Union and Eastern European countries.It was influenced by the Marxist theory on the relationship between human and nature,the theory of natural liberation of Frankfurt School and the ecological theory.William Leiss' Ecological Marxism has gradually developed into a more complete theoretical system after experiencing a budding,founding and mature process.William Leiss' Ecological Marxism mainly includes four parts: the criticism of domination of nature,the interpretation of liberation of nature,the analysis of human needs and the establishment of future society.William Leiss argued that the concept of domination of nature is the deepest source of ecological crisis,the tool is science and technology and the substance is the domination of mankind.When the domination of nature is regarded as a backward and unchangeable dogma,the concept of the domination of nature should be re-interpreted.The task of domination of nature should be to control irrational and destructive desires,and the success of such efforts will be the liberation of nature and the liberation of human nature.William Leiss analyzed the three patterns of human needs: the distinction between biological and cultural components,the matter of hierarchies or relative priorities,and the difference between behaviourist and critical perspectives.But he believed that these three patterns are out of the real social context.He divided needs into four settings and revealed the dangers of false demand for human beings,society and non-human nature.On this basis,William Leiss proposed three ideas for the future society: the steady-state economy,the satisfaction in the field of production and the conserver society.William Leiss analyzed the dialectical relationship between man and nature by using the Marxist contradiction analysis method,revealed the deepest root of the ecological crisis fromthe dimension of the ideological crisis and explored the way to solve the ecological problem from the human moral perspective.These are different from other Ecological Marxism.So his theory is scientific,critical and innovative.He deviated from Marxism in the role of ecological crisis,the role of social consciousness and the understanding of the future society.He combined Marxism with ecology,so his theory still has positive significance in showing the ecological value of Marxist view of nature,deepening the understanding of the essence of contemporary capitalism and highlighting the significance of human nature to ecological protection.We can explore the revelation of ecological idea,ecological red line,ecological technology,ecological consumption and ecological life by absorbing the useful elements of William Leiss' ecological Marxism.We can make a blueprint for the construction of beautiful China and give a direction for a new era of ecological civilization,So as to promote the healthy and orderly development of ecological civilization construction in China.