Eco-holism and Native American philosophy: An exploration of their common ground

The central focus of the present work is an examination of the many commonalities which appear to characterize both ecological and Native American philosophies, their common critiques of the dominant culture, and their common aspirations towards establishing a sustainable and equitable future in the face of our common, and increasingly global, ecological problems. Thus, the present work may be considered as an exercise in cross-cultural philosophy, which uses an abductive or comparative methodology to compare and contrast different relational symbolisms in the ideological sphere, with various patterns of social and ecological relationship as they are enacted in practice, both historically and in the present day.;The work is divided into four sections, each of which examines a different theme, and expands upon those which have come before, and while the first two having a more historical focus, the second two have a more contemporary focus. The first section provides an abductive comparison between the relational symbolism of Native American philosophies and the dominant modern philosophies of Western culture. This is followed in the second section by a discussion of the manner in which each of these relational symbolisms was embodied in the social and ecological patterns of relationship of each cultural type in the context of the early colonial encounter, and the manner in which Native American philosophies appear to have begun to influence Western philosophy in that context. Section three then examines the many similarities between ecological and Native philosophy more directly, and their common critiques of dominant Western philosophies in the present day. Finally, section four examines ecological philosophy's critique of the dominant trends and patterns of organization of Western culture in the contemporary context, and examines the manner in which these critiques support contemporary indigenous aspirations towards greater cultural, economic and political autonomy.;The thesis concludes by arguing for the development of a type of radical pluralism, through which local actors support one another in resisting common global enemies, which is inspired by ecological values and insights very similar to those long expressed by Native American philosophies. In fact, as shall be argued below, such a path may be the only means of solving the ecological crisis which we collectively face as a species.