Abstract

C.A. Bowers, professor emeritus at Portland State University and courtesy professor of environmental studies at the University of Oregon, explores ideological, technological, and economic forces that have created a state of conflict that can be identified as an "ecology of war." In this lecture, Bowers focuses on the relationship all forms of life share with one another. Human existence involves responding to relationships. Bowers discusses how print-based thinking promotes abstract thinking, which contributes to deepening social and global conflicts. Bowers also explains how classroom teachers and university professors need to understand their role as mediators in helping students recognize the ecological differences between their cultural commons and consumer-based experiences.