51-937 The Emerging Ecological Worldview
12 units, Carnegie Mellon University
In this seminar it will be argued that the mechanistic worldview which has permeated Western (and Westernized) thinking and society since the scientific revolution has been crumbling for several decades: its place is gradually being taken by an emerging ecological (or holistic) worldview. This worldview coheres themes such as relationality, interdependence, self-organization, diversity, pluralism, creativity, context, process and wholeness. These themes have in many ways been embodied in the evolution of natural systems¿organisms, ecosystems and the earth itself¿and have enormous implications for how we inhabit the places in which we live and the planet as a whole, if we and the 'More-Than-Human World' are to flourish. We will ask what it means to 'think ecologically' and what are the implications of the ecological worldview for how systems of all kinds (technological, infrastructural, political, social, economic) are designed. Students will explore how the application of ecological principles can help us to more authentically 'inhabit' and satisfy our needs in the places in which we live, and inform strategies for designing for futures that are more sustainable, equitable and desirable
Prerequisites: none listed
Offered: Fall 2026, Fall 2025
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