Worldviews and Values

Declaration of Interdependence

We are the earth, through the plants and animals that nourish us.
We are the rains and the oceans that flow through our veins.
We are the breath of the forests of the land, and the plants of the sea.
We are human animals, related to all other life as descendants of the firstborn cell.
We share with these kin a common history, written in our genes.
We share a common present, filled with uncertainty.
And we share a common future, as yet untold.
--David Suzuki Foundation, for the 1992 UN Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Worldviews and Values

Drawn up by Madronna Holden

The worldviews and values on the left express “partnership” ( most often indigenous) societies centered on cooperation and sharing and the ones on the right express the values of industrialized societies centered on competition. (Values are listed in bold)

These contrasts represent a continuum of human choices. Though particular societies tend to fall on one side of this continuum, there is considerable individual variation within a society, as well as tension between values (or ethical standards) and actions. The fact that so many choose to live ancient and sustaining values today—no matter what their culture of origin– provides hope for our shared future.

Click to download in a detailed pdf which contrasts industrial vs. indigenous worldviews in terms of nature’s character, human place in nature, survival strategies, economic systems (material goods), technology, power and authority, and sexuality and gender,

Your feedback is welcome as we work toward the world we want. This outline is copyright, Madronna Holden, 2013. As always please feel free to link and share with attribution.