An Introduction to the Principles of Ecological Civilization and Living Earth Philosophy

from Living Earth Co-Creative at the Center for Process Studies

11 min readJan 15, 2025

Amidst the current global metacrisis, a Great Turning is emerging that is profoundly shifting human relations and our relationship with the web of life. From within the urgency is springing the potential for innovative pathways that unite the world within a philosophy of the Living Earth and supports the emergence of an Ecological Civilization.

Beyond the Metacrisis

The metacrisis has emerged from the extreme effects of extraction and exploitation of nature, society, and self. Our current world is fraught with a cascade of ecological, economic, and social disasters. Drought and wildfires, floods and extreme weather conditions, economic disparity and racism, genocide and mass migration, and physical and mental health epidemics, are all disrupting food systems, social systems, and our ability for life and wellbeing. Each is tied to another, creating a metacrisis that crosses boundaries, cultures, ecosystems, and social systems. Extractive developments have pushed the Earth to a tipping point, echoing the warnings of scientists that we are nearing a sixth mass extinction — a rupture in the continuity of life not seen since 65 million years ago. This unsustainable trajectory fractures our planetary ecosystems and well-being, demanding us to realign our actions with life-sustaining principles.

Despite advances in material prosperity, the toll on human and environmental health is undeniable in light of surging costs in healthcare, rising mental health challenges, increasing inequalities, and exacerbating regional conflict. The rapid development of artificial intelligence, though filled with promise, raises critical concerns about expression, identity, and purpose. We are left with questions touching the depths of the human soul. In this critical moment of change, what is our most precious and irreplaceable gift? Can we realize happiness amidst disruption? Can technology promote well-being and sustainability rather than destruction? Is holistic development that serves as a life-nurturing force possible?

The Vision of Ecological Civilization as Guiding Star

Ecological Civilization is a guiding vision to help us cultivate a bright future for humanity in harmony with nature and the more-than-human world. There have been many forms of ecological civilizations throughout time and around the world. There is not one perfect example, rather there are guiding principles for cultivating evernew expressions. An ecological civilization is already happening outside of the modern world and the mechanistic paradigm, but we may not recognize it without broadening our understanding. In order to participate in a new way of life, we must first learn to shift our perception, allowing us to perceive opportunities within new patterns of complexity, customs, and systems.

Grounded in traditional Asian philosophies such as Daoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, complemented by modern Western ideas like Process Thinking and Ecological Philosophy, and enriched by Indigenous land-based wisdom from around the world, this vision is also informed by advancements in science and technology, such as earth system science, evolutionary biology, ecology, and physics. Powered by both the human spirit and technology, ecological civilization is not an unattainable dream but a guiding compass for navigating the challenges of the VUCA age.

Every civilization is cultivated through education. To achieve an ecological civilization, we must educate for an evolution of human kindness, grounded in respect for one another and the more-than-human world. This form of eco-education is based on lived learning that awakens innate wisdom through the cultivation of curiosity, compassion, and courage. Co-creative practices for regeneration and harmony with all of life develop personal integrity, as well as just and compassionate communities. This supports us in recognizing the world that is always in the process of becoming and helps us lean into the paradox of finding renewal within collapse. We can then transcending dualities of east/west, brain/heart, left/right, intuitive/rational, rising to an evolutionary perspective. Applying our gifts and talents, we can develop an ever evolving Beloved Community cultivated through these principles of relational culture.

Relational Culture

Process of Becoming: The universe is in constant transformation and life is a continuous flow of becoming along many levels of complexity. Every being is evolving and emerging through relationships, shaped by the dynamic process of interactions.
Interdependence and Interbeing: All living beings are deeply interconnected and every action impacts the larger web of life. The well-being of one affects the whole, reinforcing the interconnected nature of existence. We are all part of the shared ecosystem of life.
Sacredness of All Life: Every aspect of creation has intrinsic value and is therefore sacred. By recognizing that all forms of life deserve respect and care, we cultivate reverence for the Earth and all expression of life.
Celebrating Diversity: Evolutionary growth emerges from novelty within diversity. Both ecological and cultural diversity are vital for a thriving world, cultivating resilience and fostering unity through mutual respect.
Human Agency as Stewardship: Humans are a unique expression of nature with the capacity to restore, sustain, and enhance the health of the planet and its inhabitants. Seeing ourselves as integral to the health and wellbeing of all of life, we can protect and nurture the Earth, rather than try to dominate any aspect of life.
Relational Reciprocity: Reciprocal relationships ensure fairness, harmony, and equity in both human and ecological systems. Developing practices to understand and connect with others through empathy and compassion build emotional integrity and social balance.
Co-Creation and Participatory Action: Collective action and shared wisdom are essential for building an equitable future. Solutions emerge through collaboration and inclusion, where all voices are heard, especially those of marginalized groups and the more-than-human world.
Regeneration Over Exploitation: Regenerative practices ensure a thriving world that continues for future generations. Restoration of ecosystems and replenishing resources circumvents extraction and exploitation across all levels of life.
Holistic Development: Sustainable growth is guided by collective flourishing rather than accumulation or dominance. Social well-being, environmental health, and personal fulfillment are interlinked and a holistic balance is essential for true progress and development.
Flourishing Communities and Planetary Health: Health and well-being of people, communities, and the planet arises from mutual respect, care, and balance. A thriving world is one where all beings, human and non-human, can flourish together.

Dreaming the New World Into Being

With the metacrisis, the control culture of modernity is unraveling and the flaws of the mechanistic paradigm are being thoroughly exposed. However, this does not mean that the future is dystopian. We each have a choice to make as to whether we will collapse with the great unraveling or participate in the great turning towards a civilization in harmony with nature. It is important in this time to recognize that the solutions are not outside of us — we are the solution. An ecological civilization requires cultivating knowledge, empathy, and respect of nature’s living systems, developing practices for how to co-create with on another and the more-than-human world, and designing adaptable social systems and cultural practices that are in harmony with nature. This arises from ecological thinking which cultivates a unity of wonder, beauty, and truth, honors interdependence, and strives for the regeneration of nature, society, and self.

Developing ecological education cultivates these perspectives and practices for living in harmony with nature and recognizing our interconnections, and is necessary for overcoming the perpetuation of modernity. Confronting a deep sense of complexity, today’s youth must grapple with decisions that directly impact our collective future. Not only responsible for their own future, they carry concerns for peace-building, ecology, and equity. As global citizens and digital natives, they have the unique ability to transcend fixed borders, question rigid convention, explore new horizons, and ignite collective action. The role of youth is becoming increasingly complex and profound as they become the active agents of tomorrow.

Learning more about ecological civilization and envisioning possible futures helps us to see and sense a different context outside of the climate crisis, the problems of the modern world, and the breakdown of the mechanistic paradigm. This allows us to redefine our role as citizens and to make changes in our individual lives, family, work, and society. When we see ourselves as co-creators of our future world, we can engage in design thinking to participate in experimentation and prototyping for rapid learning, bringing new levels of awareness and concrete solutions for developing an ecological civilization.

Within the Paradigm Shift

Modernity was brought into being by teaching the principles of mechanization and reductionism. This perspective presupposes human beings as separate from nature, masking our interdependence and belittling our innate need for loving connections. It focuses the mind on isolating, defining, quantifying, and manipulating; engaging humanity in the identification of objects and measuring their value.

As the science of competition articulated the story of the ‘survival of the fittest’, it amplified the perspective of dominating outer forces for exploitation and perceiving nature as a resource for extraction. This further cultivated a binary mindset of either/or, do-or-die, us vs. them, right and wrong, on and off. As modernity was a shift in perspective that allowed industrialization and the digital age to emerge, so too can an ecological civilization emerge by teaching and exploring the philosophy of the Living Earth and the principles of interdependence and regeneration.

Beyond narrow ‘green’ solutions of sustainability

There is no program of sustainability that could support the exploitation and extraction of modernity, no fix for the broken system of endless GDP growth. To overcome the metacrisis and cultivate a bright future, we must move beyond the illusions of modernity and narrow ‘green’ solutions.

Some sustainability trends are not aligned with the principles of Ecological Civilization because they are ultimately sustaining practices that are extractive or harmful to nature and the more-than-human world. An example of a narrow ‘green’ solution would be the recycling of petroleum plastics into secondary products such as clothing fiber and laminate construction materials. While this is a temporary solution for pollution management, ultimately, plastics are extractive and harmful to nature and need to be replaced by other materials, such as plant-pulp packaging. True sustainability means working with nature’s regenerative principles.

生生之美，生态创新 The Beauty of ShengSheng Eco-Innovation, Where East meets West

The vision of Ecological Civilization has long been cultivated in Eastern philosophies. In this era of the Great Turning, a re-enlivened holistic worldview from traditional Chinese culture is a gift to share with the world.

“Living Earth” reflects the Chinese culture of Shengsheng(生生, Creative Creativity), a concept created by Chinese philosopher Fang Dongmei. It emphasizes the ceaseless creativity and transformative vitality of life and the universe. Rooted in Chinese traditional philosophy, particularly Daoism and Confucianism, this dynamic perspective views beauty as an ever-evolving process of becoming, where all forms are interconnected in a continuous flow of creation and renewal. Fang argued that true beauty is not static or fixed but emerges from the generative energy of life itself, reflecting the harmonious interplay between humanity and nature. By embracing the dynamic essence of shengsheng, Fang elevated beauty to a spiritual and ethical realm, where it inspires not only awe but also the cultivation of life’s fullest potential and the deep resonance with the ever-changing cosmos.

“Ecological innovation” suggests a creative return to life and its virtue of Shengsheng, implying a movement from Ego to Eco, enacted through active service. Moving from self-centered pursuits to a deeper and embodied understanding of interconnection, this encourages the expressions of personal gifts and shared wisdom, while promoting the power of culture, art, and technology for the common good.

Amidst the shifting worldview from mechanistic to participatory, ecological restoration is also a restoration of our loving connections and our inner awareness. Ecology is more than natural scenery with plants and animal, it is the recognition of human beings within earth’s living systems and the valuable care of our relationships. Only with this recognition can we experience the interconnections, harmony, and symbiosis of the living earth. We can then see the power and beauty of life, feel the present moment pulsing with possibilities, sense the vital impetus surging in the universe, and create with it. Realizing that we are not separate from nature but an expression of nature, maturing in our co-creative capacity, become ever more attuned as we grow through every generation. The great philosopher Fang Dongmei reflected the Eastern understanding of the universe’s infinite creativity:

“I am in harmony with all things, and I see the ‘endless beauty of the universe’ in the universe, life, mountains, rivers, plants, flowers and birds.”
FANG DONG MEI

Coming together in ecological innovation for the Living Earth

Each of our individual ideals and gifts are needed to co-create an ecological civilization. As well, in order to envision a better future, we need to cultivate a community consciousness that is grounded in the wisdom of the world, both ancient and contemporary, that converges the philosophies of the East and West.

Happiness can be obtained when we unite knowledge and action. Challenging circumstances become fertile ground for a new generation of thinkers and creators who dare to seek life-affirming answers. Bringing together the American spirit of innovation with the Chinese reverence for beauty and wonder of nature, we can cultivate ecological thinking and practices of civilization renewal. Together we can navigate the complexity of our changing times while co-creating solutions for personal, local, regional, and global action. In the midst of the metacrisis of ecological, economic, and social upheaval, together we can create hope and bringing the future forward by growing global participation in the commitment to ecological civilization.