Earth Democracy’s Tenants, Feasibility, and Relevancy, by Vandana Shiva

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“In nature's economy the currency is not money, it is life.” Vandana Shiva, with these words, asserts her most fundamental beliefs about the sacredness of humans living in harmony with the natural ecological world. For Shiva it is not invisible hand of the market that rules rather, omnipresent realities of the natural world that dictate culture, food systems, economies and human life. Shiva has become a world-renowned spokesperson for global ecofeminism. Her scientific, activism, and written ventures have focused on bringing her principles of earth democracy and sustainable living to public attention. As the world looks forward at facing the multifaceted challenges of twenty-first century life Shiva’s ideas will prove increasingly relevant. Loss of biodiversity, climate change, and concerns regarding access to natural resources are compounding with issues of women’s rights, cultural imperialism, and globalized capitalist economies. In Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability, and Peace Vandana Shiva outlines the multitude of problems she finds with the present path of humans’ interaction with each other and their planet. Shiva offers cautionary warnings in defense of life, the currency of nature. Her unique background in science, philosophy, and agricultural activism has allowed her to produce a distinctive proposal which is a simultaneously radical, hopeful, and ultimately needed position on transnational interaction, diversity loss, and women’s issues. Earth Democracy, although idealistic at times, is a text which provides an overdue alternative to corporate capitalism in the face of modern crises of humanity and nature.
Vandana Shiva was born in Dehra Dun India on November 5th 1952. Her upbringing, childhood, and familial en...

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