Springer Nature just published my book entitled "Ecosociocentrism: The Earth First Paradigm for Sustainable Living". The link https://link.springer.com/search?new-search=true&query=ECOSOCIOCENTRISM provides an overview, chapter titles & abstracts. I would greatly appreciate your feedback and comments.
Human Collective Consciousness
Why this Book?
Dear friends, we live in the Anthropocene epoch, the most dangerous period of our time. This book brings perspectives on the need for a new paradigm that entails values and concepts such as diversity, ecosystem health, interconnectedness, interdependence, autopoiesis, and organizational complexity, which are essential to keep Earth’s systems and human socioeconomic sub-system in a sustainably functional state. The book has 13 chapters, and building upon the 12 previous chapters, the last chapter proposes a new paradigm called “Ecosociocentrism: The Earth First Paradigm”.
The word ‘paradigm’ became popular when Thomas Khun first used it in his seminal book ‘The Structure of Scientific Revolution’ published in 1969. Ever since, it has been massively used, very often, misused, abused, and overused. Therefore, I may also be susceptible to the same criticism for using this term in this book. However, a paradigm is a constellation of belief systems, methods, and assumptions within the framework of which we perceive, observe, analyze, and interpret worldly phenomena around us. In other words, it is the worldview of our perception, conceptualization, and interpretation of the phenomenological world, both the social and natural. Therefore, the title of the book “Ecosociocentrism: The Earth First Paradigm,” which I have proposed, attempts to provide the metaphysical base for instrumental, relational, and intrinsic values in Nature and build the foundational basis for environmental and social sustainability.
While the term “Ecosociocentrism” does not currently exist in English dictionaries, it is a potent term I have coined by the fusion of two seemingly opposite concepts: “Ecocentrism” and “Sociocentrism.” These two concepts, Ecocentrism and Sociocentrism, represent opposite value systems, namely ecocentric (deep ecology) and sociocentric (anthropocentric societal) values. Ecocentrism embodies the values of the ecosphere (sphere of the natural world), and Sociocentrism the values of the social sphere (sphere of human society). Ecosociocentrism has been proposed to reconcile the apparent gap between the ecosphere and sociosphere, two domains often considered at odds with each other. Therefore, “Ecosociocentrism” symbolizes a harmonious synthesis of these two opposite tendencies and postulates that these seemingly opposite tendencies can coexist in a symbiotic relationship (symbiosis) rather than a stark negation of each other. I have used the ecosphere to denote the biosphere, planetary ecosystem, or Earth’s system, and the sociosphere to denote the human social-economic-technological subsystem.
I would greatly appreciate your feedback and comments.
"Ecosociocentrism: The Earth First Paradigm for Sustainable Living," authored by Professor Gopi Upreti, delves into a comprehensive analysis of humanity's pivotal position in the Anthropocene era. It critiques growth-driven solutions that often exacerbate the crisis at hand and calls for significant shifts in human consciousness and behavior as imperative for our survival. The book compellingly argues that Earth, our only home in the vast cosmos, demands our utmost protection for our own security and well-being. This insightful work is essential reading for anyone concerned about the future of our planet and human civilization, offering a thought-provoking exploration of our relationship with Earth and a practical roadmap for more sustainable living.
Nayana G.
Ohio, USA