Redefining moral education
Book Description
In an era where humanity's relationship with the natural world demands urgent reexamination, Kathryn Ross Wayne presents a compelling exploration of how literature can reshape our moral understanding. Through careful analysis of Ursula Le Guin's visionary novels "The Word for the World Is Forest" and "Always Coming Home," Wayne reveals how storytelling and language serve as powerful tools for developing ecological consciousness.
Wayne traces the evolution of environmental thinking throughout Western civilization, demonstrating how Le Guin's fictional worlds offer profound insights into the connection between nature and culture. By examining the author's use of metaphor and linguistic innovation, this study illuminates how creative expression can challenge existing cultural behaviors and inspire new ways of thinking about our place in the natural order.
Drawing connections between Le Guin's work and contemporary voices in deep ecology, social ecology, and ecofeminism, Wayne also engages with influential moral theorists including Karl Kohlberg, Carol Gilligan, Carl Rogers, and Nel Noddings. This interdisciplinary approach reveals how fictional narratives can serve as catalysts for moral transformation.
The book argues that language itself shapes our capacity for ethical reasoning, particularly regarding environmental responsibility. Wayne demonstrates how Le Guin's ecocentric fictional societies provide models for reimagining morality through an environmental lens. This analysis offers valuable perspectives for educators, spiritual seekers, and anyone interested in cultivating a deeper ethical relationship with the Earth through the transformative power of language and story.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Short (< 200 pages) (~4 hours)
📄 Length: 162 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Reconnect with nature spiritually
- ✓ Explore Le guin, ursula k., 1929-2018
- ✓ Understand ecological consciousness
- ✓ Understand spiritual ethics
- ✓ Explore Environmental protection
- ✓ Explore Moral and ethical aspects of Environmental protection
- ✓ Explore Environmental responsibility
- ✓ Explore Didactic fiction, American
