VineDeloria3

Summary

This video script delves into the epistemological approach of Native American philosophy, emphasizing the moral and living nature of the universe. It posits that all knowledge is intrinsically moral, guiding human conduct and our relationship with the Earth. The script discusses humility, responsibility, and the interconnectedness of all things, including inanimate objects, which are seen as alive with their own agency. It contrasts Western scientific objectivity with this holistic view, suggesting a more respectful and reciprocal interaction with nature. The video also touches on the concepts of time, space, and the potential for environmental repair, using the example of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone.

Takeaways

• 🌌 The universe is viewed as a moral universe where every experience has moral content, and knowledge is intended to guide moral responses and actions.
• 🌱 Knowledge is not an end in itself but is produced to help find the right way to live and act in relation to the world around us.
• 🌿 The idea of living 'with' the Earth rather than 'on' it emphasizes our interconnectedness with the planet and all its life forms.
• 🧬 The scientific worldview often avoids moral content for fear of leading people back to religious authorities as the main source of knowledge.
• 🙏 Humility is a key characteristic of viewing the universe as moral, recognizing our limitations and learning from the world around us.
• 🌱 The concept of 'all of my relatives' reflects the epistemology of the tribal worldview, where everything is seen as interconnected.
• 🌳 The universe is also considered a living universe, with all things, including inanimate objects, being alive and part of a larger, nurturing system.
• 🔄 The idea of spirit is compared to energy, representing an underlying life force that is both universal and unique to each entity.
• 🌐 The universe is relational, with everything being alive and interconnected, challenging the scientific view of ecology and emphasizing the importance of relationships.
• ⏳ Time and space are also considered in this worldview, with the idea that our actions can repair past damages and restore balance to the environment.

Q & A

What is the central idea presented in the script regarding the universe?

The central idea is that the universe is a moral universe, where everything has moral content and every experience is intended to evoke a moral response, guiding our actions and interactions.

How does the script suggest we should perceive our relationship with the Earth?

The script suggests that we should live 'with' the Earth rather than 'on' it, emphasizing a more harmonious and respectful relationship with our environment.

What is the significance of the phrase 'all of my relatives' in the context of the script?

The phrase 'all of my relatives' reflects the epistemology of the tribal worldview, indicating that everything is related and interconnected, thus expressing a sense of responsibility and equality towards all forms of life.

Why does the script argue that the scientific worldview avoids moral content?

The script argues that the scientific worldview avoids moral content because Western societies fear it could lead people to turn to ecclesiastical authorities or religious leaders for knowledge, thus undermining secular knowledge.

What does the script suggest is the purpose of producing knowledge?

According to the script, the purpose of producing knowledge is not for the sake of knowledge itself, but to find the right way to live and act in relation to all the things around us.

How does the script define humility in the context of a moral universe?

In the context of a moral universe, humility is defined as the recognition of one's own limitations and the need to act with a degree of caution until sufficient knowledge or confidence to act in the right way arises.

What is the script's stance on the idea that the universe is alive?

The script posits that the universe is alive, with everything being imbued with a life force, and that there is a reciprocal and inseparable relationship among all things, including inanimate objects.

How does the script differentiate the concept of 'spirit' from pantheism?

The script differentiates 'spirit' from pantheism by stating that while everything shares in a life force, this does not mean attributing human characteristics to non-human nature, and that no single entity is considered a deity.

What does the script suggest about the personality and free will of inanimate objects?

The script suggests that even inanimate objects have a form of agency and contribute to the broader networks of relations, implying a measure of free will and choice, even if they do not move or appear to be active.

How does the script relate the concept of a relational universe to ecological ethics?

The script relates the concept of a relational universe to ecological ethics by emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things and the importance of understanding and respecting these relationships in our interactions with the environment.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Moral and Living Universe

The paragraph discusses the concept of a moral universe where every experience has moral content, guiding our actions. It emphasizes the importance of understanding our relationship with the Earth and other entities. The author critiques the scientific worldview for avoiding moral content, fearing it might lead to reliance on religious authorities. The text also touches on humility, recognizing human limitations, and the interconnectedness of all things, suggesting a shift from a predatory to a symbiotic relationship with nature.

05:03

🌿 The Universe as a Living Entity

This section delves into the idea that the universe is alive, with everything from the Earth to inanimate objects being part of a living system. It challenges the notion of stones as inert, suggesting they too have a form of agency and life force. The concept of 'spirit' is introduced, akin to energy, representing an underlying life force that is both universal and unique. The paragraph distinguishes this view from pantheism, clarifying that ascribing human characteristics to non-human entities is not the intention. Instead, it suggests that personhood or personality is a universal trait, not exclusive to humans.

10:06

🔗 The Relational Universe and Ecological Ethics

The final paragraph focuses on the relational aspect of the universe, where all entities are interconnected. It draws parallels with ecological ethics and the importance of understanding these relationships to coexist harmoniously. The text suggests that indigenous people's observations of nature provide knowledge for living without undue intrusion on other creatures' lives. It contrasts this with scientific ecology, highlighting the need for a deeper, more respectful approach to the environment. The paragraph concludes with a mention of time and space, and the potential for environmental repair through living in harmony with nature.

Keywords

💡Moral Universe

The concept of a 'Moral Universe' suggests that the universe operates on moral principles and that every experience and entity within it carries moral significance. This idea is central to the video's theme, emphasizing that knowledge is not just for intellectual pursuit but to guide moral action. The speaker uses this concept to argue that all knowledge should be aimed at helping us determine the right course of action in life, as illustrated by the statement that 'Indian knowledge is the knowledge of the physical Universe arranged in such a manner as to call forth some moral response.'

💡Epistemological Approach

The 'Epistemological Approach' refers to the method or theory through which knowledge is acquired and understood. In the video, this approach is contrasted with a purely scientific one, highlighting that knowledge should be produced not just for its own sake but to inform our moral actions and responsibilities towards the world. The speaker discusses how this approach views the universe as interconnected and alive, influencing how we should interact with it.

💡Humility

In the context of the video, 'Humility' is presented as a key virtue for those who recognize the moral universe. It is the acknowledgment of one's limitations and the wisdom to act with restraint until sufficient knowledge or confidence to act correctly is gained. The speaker refers to humility when discussing how indigenous people see themselves as 'younger brothers' to the Earth, indicating a respect for the life that evolved before humankind.

💡Relational

The term 'Relational' is used to describe the interconnectedness of all things in the universe. This concept is integral to the video's message, as it underscores the idea that our actions have consequences on all other entities. The speaker mentions that by being attentive to these relations, we can understand how to act in harmony with the world around us, as seen in the phrase 'we live with the Earth rather than on the Earth.'

💡Living Universe

The 'Living Universe' concept posits that everything in the universe, including what we might consider inanimate, is alive in some sense. This view challenges the traditional Western scientific perspective by suggesting that all entities have a form of consciousness or spirit. The video uses this idea to argue for a more respectful and considerate interaction with the natural world, as everything is seen as part of a nurturing cycle.

💡Spirit

In the video, 'Spirit' is discussed as an underlying life force present in all things, akin to the 'Breath of Life.' It is compared to the concept of energy in physics, suggesting that it is the force that allows matter to perform work or be involved in processes. The speaker clarifies that this does not equate to pantheism but rather signifies a universal yet unique life force in every entity, contributing to the relational nature of the universe.

💡Responsibility

The concept of 'Responsibility' in the video is tied to the moral universe and the relational nature of all things. It implies that humans have a duty to act in ways that respect and preserve the interconnected web of life. The speaker uses this term to critique the predatory view of nature and instead promotes a symphony-like existence where humans act with self-discipline and equality towards other forms of life.

💡Personhood

The term 'Personhood' in the video extends beyond human beings to all entities in the universe, suggesting that everything has a form of agency or 'Free Will.' This idea challenges the anthropocentric view that personhood is unique to humans. The speaker uses the concept to argue that石头, for example, should be seen as communities of persons, indicating that they too have a form of life force and contribute to the broader networks of relations.

💡Ecological Ethics

Ecological Ethics, as discussed in the video, is an approach to understanding our moral responsibilities towards the environment and other living beings. It is rooted in the recognition of the universe as a moral and relational entity. The speaker suggests that this ethical framework should guide our interactions with nature, advocating for a mutually agreeable basis for communication between humans and other forms of life.

💡Time and Space

Although not deeply explored in the provided transcript, 'Time and Space' are mentioned in relation to the indigenous understanding of the universe. The speaker hints at the importance of proper places and the idea that damage to the environment can be repaired over time. This concept aligns with the video's broader theme of living in harmony with the natural world and recognizing the interconnectedness of all things across time and space.

Highlights

The universe is viewed as a moral universe, implying that every experience has moral content.

Indian knowledge is about the physical world arranged to evoke moral responses.

Knowledge is not abstract; it is intended to guide us in finding the right path in life.

Everything is related, and knowledge production is attentive to these relations.

We live with the Earth, not on it, emphasizing our interconnectedness with the planet.

The scientific worldview avoids moral content to prevent reliance on religious authorities.

Humility is a characteristic of viewing the universe as moral, recognizing our limitations.

Indigenous peoples refer to themselves as 'younger brothers', indicating a sense of being part of a larger, older community of life.

Responsibility and equality are themes, with humans expected to act towards other forms of life with self-discipline.

Life should be viewed as a symphony of reciprocal relations, not a predatory jungle.

The universe is alive, with everything, including inanimate objects, interacting in necessary ways.

Spirit is compared to energy, representing an underlying life force in all things.

The idea of spirit does not equate to pantheism; it's about recognizing the life force in all entities without attributing human characteristics.

Everything shares in the same life force, suggesting that personhood or personality is not unique to humans.

The universe is relational, with all entities, alive or seemingly inanimate, being interconnected.

Ecological ethics and environmental ethics are rooted in the understanding of the universe as relational and alive.

The reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone illustrates the interconnectedness and impact of living entities on the environment.

Transcripts

foreign

so now I'm just going to talk a little

bit about the knowledge which is

produced from the epistemological

approach that we discussed or that I

discussed in previous videos uh and the

first and most obvious idea here

is that the universe is a moral Universe

which is to say that everything every

experience has some more content and

Indian knowledge is the knowledge of the

physical Universe arranged in such a

manner is to call forth some some moral

response

um so we're attentive to the moral

content of our experience to the moral

content of the world that we experience

and this can tell us how to act there's

no Knowledge abstracted from this all

knowledge his knowledge that is intended

to help us find the right course the

proper road to walk during our lifetime

he says this multiple times I think

so

knowledge is produced in this way in

part due to the experience that

everything is related and I'm going to

come back to this but in

being attentive to things and what they

can tell us we're attempted to the

relations among things and I think I

have

yeah there's a good example of this at

the bottom of 77 onto page 78.

um

um

we don't produce knowledge under this

epistemological approach for the sake of

knowledge we we produce knowledge

um for the sake of finding what the

right way to live what the right thing

to do in relation to all the things

around us

um so you might say that one of the

ideas here is that we live

with the Earth rather than on the Earth

right

um I don't know if it's in text or in

one of the videos that I'll show you but

he talks uh fine talks about you know

the Earth is not just some inner object

right it's uh it's something which is

alive which will lead us to the next

point but before that I want to say uh

he stayed somewhere that the scientific

worldview intentionally avoids moral

content

um because

um

Western societies fear that

um

having inherent moral content in

knowledge will lead people to turn to

the ecclesiastical authorities right the

Priestly class

um

or religious leaders more generally

speaking or more broadly speaking and so

ever since we've secularized knowledge

in the West

um we've had this fear that if we don't

apply morality subsequently in some form

that we consider rational but not

attached directly to the knowledge that

we develop if we claim that there is a

moral value to knowledge that this will

lead people back to religion as their

main source of knowledge so this is I

guess a fear

um that could be

um

part of the explanation on on Delores

behalf a few things that are

characteristic of viewing the universe

as a moral Universe one is humility he

says the wise person will realize his or

her own limitations and act with some

degree of humility humility until

sufficient knowledge or the confidence

to act in the right way arises it's page

70.

he says that human beings refer to

themselves so

um the tribal peoples refer to

themselves as the younger brothers so

it's not a matter of being the highest

most intelligent life form it's

recognizing that most of the life on

Earth evolved to the state that it's in

before us which makes us young rather

than old that's page 74. and then this

phrase all of my relatives as expressing

the epistemology of the tribal worldview

and providing the mythological basis

right because

um everything is related which we're

going to come back to again in a second

another theme Here responsibility and

equality

self-disciplined by humans and acting

towards other forms of life instead of

this idea of a predatory jungle I don't

know if you've studied any sort of basic

political Theory Western political

Theory like Hobbes Hobbs who believes

we're in this state of nature and uh you

know we're gonna be vying for survival

and killing each other and trying to

trick each other unless we have this

social contract right so instead of this

instead of the predatory jungle where we

live at the expense of other beings life

should be viewed as something like a

symphony a complex arrangement of

reciprocal relations and interplay and

I'm pulling that from page 75. so

we need to establish forms of

communication among humans towards other

forms of life on a mutually agreeable

basis that's important mutually

agreeable basis so before we mess with

the quote unquote natural world

from this view we need to understand

that these things are okay and I think

there's a passage here I'm sorry I don't

have the page number written down but

where he talks about

um

not hunting animals until they've had

the chance to go through the whole life

cycle and talks about eagles but you can

imagine other forms of game and things

like this you know hunting at the

seasons in which you know that these

animals have borne children raised them

and you know maybe before hibernation

something like this

um

it's a much different approach than we

have the other idea here the universe is

a moral Universe the universe is also a

living universe

everything is alive the Earth is alive

and and the justification if you're

saying the Earth is alive is uh that

this is easily observable

um because everything is nurtured

by

larger beings so the Earth nurtures Us

in the way that we nurture our children

and so on and so forth

there are a lot of ways to talk about

this this is usually a point for class

discussion so I'm not going to go into

this too much here

um

there is a reciprocal and Inseparable

relationship among all things all things

including inanimate things are

interacting with one another in some

necessary way so things like stones that

we would say are inert not alive don't

have the ability to move by themselves

they think that they do and they have

reasons for that that are in the text

and you should

give serious consideration to this stuff

um

another feature we get here is this idea

of spirit that's compared in the bead

account to energy this is something you

know the alert the word comes from

Lakota that he's using something like

the Breath of Life similar to

um the etymology of the word Soul or the

idea of soul in Western cultures

um seems to represent something like an

underlying life force you know

everything is in spirited as it were

imbued with certain life force that is

both Universal and unique to this thing

um

and this is compared to energy which is

uh you know basic definition energy is

what is required for matter to perform

work or be involved in any process

that's just like a really basic um

a really basic sort of uh physical

definition of

energy

um but this idea of spirit doesn't

amount to pantheism nor any other mode

of attributing human characteristics to

non-human nature

so his argument against pantheism is

that even those tribes that projected

from the experiences of birds animals

and plants and personify these

experiences did not make any particular

entity a deity alone so no one thing was

a deity even if some knowledge came from

visions of someone being as another type

of being as an animal for a period of

time and that when they pass this

knowledge on they personified these

non-human beings

um another things that humans are but

one thing that is alive remember

everything is alive

so asserting that everything shares in

this life is not to say that everything

is like a human

um though we might say that humans are

like everything else

kind of the opposite direction of an

anthropomorphization

um so when deloria speaks of stones as

communities of persons it does not

appear to me that person is intended in

the same way that we speak of ourselves

as persons but rather that everything

shares in the same life force and has

some form of agency some Freedom or free

will

um in giving to the broader networks of

relations that they're in so by the

sheer fact that everything is related in

such and such a way everything has

mobility and everything is contributing

even those things that seem like they're

not moving are doing anything at all

um every entity had a personality and

could exercise a measure of Free Will

and choice this is on 77.

um so this is to say the person the idea

of personhood or personality doesn't

necessarily originate with us but it's

something that we have again because

everything else has it it's not that we

project our existence onto other things

it's that we understand our existence as

coming from and sharing in what

everything else has

um or comes from or is the last thing

that I want to mention sort of is uh

that the universe is a relational

universe so if everything is alive then

everything must be related to one

another in some way right now this is

the science of wholeness in some sense

that he refers to and if you uh

if you don't know this

um sort of fundamental idea of ecology

not necessarily as a science but in the

sense that it's a

um an approach to Nature and the

environment right now ecological ethics

environmental ethics is what we're going

to be doing in this class and this is a

good text to uh sort of start that Trend

um sort of the the

the catchphrase or the the uh

uh victim of uh of ecology is that

everything is related right so that

there's this totality of relations

um

we should ask however

um how this idea might be different from

our idea

um of ecology which is derived from you

know a scientific view that's not the

same as theirs I wanted to read here

um on page 77

American Indians

understanding that the Universe

consisted of living entities were

interested in learning how other forms

of life behaved

for they saw that every entity had a

personality and could exercise a measure

of Free Will and choice

consequently Indian people carefully

observed phenomena in order to determine

what relationships existed between and

among the various peoples of the world

their understanding of the relationships

of these relationships provided them

with the knowledge necessary to live

comfortably in the physical world and

not unduly intrude into the lives of

other creatures

um so those are the big main features of

the body of knowledge that they produced

right

um the universe is moral the universe is

relational the universe is alive and

there are some other things that he

mentions towards the end of the essay

talks about time and space I'm not going

to get into these the conceptions of

time and space are interesting

especially these ideas of proper places

um he mentions at one point in time how

um when we learn to live with our

environment in a certain way damages

that we caused will be repaired

and there is an interesting video you

can look it up

um just look for a video on

um the reintroduction of wolves I think

into not Yosemite into Yellowstone

and uh they didn't realize the people

who did this there was an endangered

species of wolves and they were breeding

them and they

um introduced them back into the area of

the national park and uh what happened

is just incredible so look that up I

mean it didn't just change patterns

amongst other animals it changed growth

patterns in nature growth of plants and

things like that it also changed

patterns in waterways

um really just from reintroducing a few

wolves back in so um that's crazy and

you should definitely look it up

I don't have a good video version of it

um that I'm aware of but if I find one

ever I'll add it

um

and I think that that's it

um

I hope that you enjoyed this text I

don't know if I said this in one of the

previous videos but it's one of my

favorite um that we do uh I think that

it's not provoking and challenges us to

really get outside of

um

this sort of intellectual conditioning

that we have in the social and cultural

conditioning that we have even more so

than some of the Eastern like uh Far

East Asian philosophy that we'll do um

so

take care