University of Colorado Denver
Department of Philosophy
Presents:
"Ecocide, Peak Oil and Deep Ecology"
Frederic L. Bender
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Department of Philosophy
Abstract
I’ll spend approximately ten minutes on each of three topics. The first of these is to update the audience on the
processes leading to ecocide (the destruction major ecosystems, many of which are vital for the continuance of
human life as we know it). Second, I’ll examine the evidence for the imminence of Peak Oil, the irreversible
maximization of global production of cheap petroleum, which either has already occurred or will occur before
2012 or thereabouts. I will discuss peak oil’s important implications for the future of industrial civilization.
Third, in response to ecocide and peak oil, I’ll argue that an approach based in deep ecology philosophy offers
perhaps the greatest promise for human adaptation, on the levels of individual behavior, values and lifestyle,
and socioeconomic institutions.
Bio
Fred Bender received his MA and Ph.D degrees from Northwestern University. His areas of prime interest
include Ecological Philosophy, the Asian Philosophical Traditions, East-West Comparative Philosophy,
Marxism and Critical Theory, Phenomenology, and Existentialism. Books he has published include The Culture
of Extinction: Toward a Philosophy of Deep Ecology (2003) and The Communist Manifesto - A Norton Critical
Edition (1998).
Monday, October 5, 2009
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Honi F. Haber Memorial Library
Plaza Building M108
Refreshments will be served