Summary Of Deborah Rose's An Indigenous Philosophical Ecology
Deborah Rose endeavors to demonstrate that Indigenous knowledge can be intertwined with the knowledge set forth by Western philosophy in her article “An Indigenous Philosophical Ecology: Situating the Human.” She reinforces and analyzes Val Plumwood’s argument that anthropology holds a role in re-situating the human ecologically. Specifically, Rose seeks to place the human within an Indigenous philosophical ecology. Rose refers to Julie Cruikshank and Ilya Prigogine, as their ideas recognize the significance of infiltrating Western paradigms, and create potential spaces for Indigenous knowledge to interact with Western knowledge. Rose’s personal observations supporting her claim come from her research in Australia’s Northern Territory and she
explains how people base their knowledge on ecological signs and patterns from nature. For example, she depicts how the Indigenous people’s burning practices in the northern floodplains not only improve humans’ hunting, but also enhance animals’ living conditions and increase the land’s nutrients. Her observation of interconnectivity within the environment portrays that communicative and mutual benefits exist between creatures and humans. Due to the recurrences of patterns that impact and signal all organisms, she argues that humans are not the only advantageous ones and are not separated from nature. Therefore, Rose proves that Indigenous philosophical ecology can re-situate the human within nature, rather than disconnecting humans from nature as Western philosophy tends to do.
It is worthwhile to note that Rose addresses her limitations before breaking down her argument, allowing her to specify her focus. Despite this strength, her article is written in The Australian Journal of Anthropology, signifying her academic audience and her failure to offer more background knowledge for less experienced readers. Rose succeeds in delineating an issue with the standards set by the Western philosophy, however her lack of criticism of Indigenous philosophical ecology prevents her from undermining the Western paradigm entirely.
explains how people base their knowledge on ecological signs and patterns from nature. For example, she depicts how the Indigenous people’s burning practices in the northern floodplains not only improve humans’ hunting, but also enhance animals’ living conditions and increase the land’s nutrients. Her observation of interconnectivity within the environment portrays that communicative and mutual benefits exist between creatures and humans. Due to the recurrences of patterns that impact and signal all organisms, she argues that humans are not the only advantageous ones and are not separated from nature. Therefore, Rose proves that Indigenous philosophical ecology can re-situate the human within nature, rather than disconnecting humans from nature as Western philosophy tends to do.
It is worthwhile to note that Rose addresses her limitations before breaking down her argument, allowing her to specify her focus. Despite this strength, her article is written in The Australian Journal of Anthropology, signifying her academic audience and her failure to offer more background knowledge for less experienced readers. Rose succeeds in delineating an issue with the standards set by the Western philosophy, however her lack of criticism of Indigenous philosophical ecology prevents her from undermining the Western paradigm entirely.