Anthropocentric = Humans #1

Regarding humankind as the central or most important element of existence

​It is a paradox worthy of a Greek tragedy: at the height of our technological power, when we have the knowledge and tools to create a planetary paradise, humanity seems determined to drive toward a catastrophic cliff with no seat-belts. I could name all the crap that we´ve created from climate change to nuclear proliferation to biodiversity collapse to microplastics clogging the oceans to…, you know what? Too many to list.

​The root of this self-destructive impulse lies in a single, deeply ingrained philosophical error: Anthropocentrism.

​The Illness: Anthropocentrism and the Cult of "More"

​Anthropocentrism is the belief that human beings are the central, most significant entity in the universe, and that all non-human life and natural systems exist primarily as resources for our use. And our religions reinforce this mantra. Although, in the modern world, this mindset found its perfect engine in unfettered, consumption-driven Capitalism.

​This engine operates on two fatal assumptions:

​The Myth of Endless Growth: The delusion that an infinite number of people can consume infinitely more on a finite planet.

​The Tyranny of the Immediate: Our psychological wiring, reinforced by the market, prioritizes immediate profit and gratification over long-term stability. A phenomenon psychologists call Temporal Discounting.

​This cultural complex creates a loop of self-destruction: our desire for "more"—more wealth, more comfort, more power—trumps our innate knowledge that we are destroying the very systems that sustain us. We know we are poisoning the well, yet the market demands another sip. This is the tragic core of Global Self-Sabotage.

The Antidote: How to cure us

​The good news is that humanity is not monolithic, and the antidote to this fever has existed for millennia in cultures that escaped the anthropocentric trap. Their wisdom offers not a denial of human importance, but a radical re-contextualization of it.

​1. The Seventh Generation Principle

​To counter our disastrous temporal discounting, we must adopt the philosophy of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy and other Indigenous nations: The Seventh Generation Principle.

​This principle mandates that in every decision we make—from land use to policy—we must consider the impact on the seventh generation into the future. It forces us to ask: What will my great-great-great-great-grandchildren inherit because of what I do today?

​This is not research; it is an act of radical imagination. It expands our sphere of care from the immediate self to the distant future of the entire lineage.

​2. Buddhism: Dismantling the Delusion of the Separate Self

​The core tenet of Buddhist philosophy is Interdependence (Pratītyasamutpāda).

​When we feel the despair of Global Self-Sabotage, it often comes from a feeling of being an isolated self against a huge, dying world. Buddhism teaches that this "separate self" is an illusion. Your breath is the plant life; your body is the river; your future is the global climate.

​By training the mind in mindfulness and compassion (Karuna), we begin to see the intrinsic, non-negotiable link between our personal well-being and the well-being of the planetary ecosystem.

​The desire for "more"—the root of consumerism—is recognized as the attachment (Tanha) that causes suffering. Freedom, therefore, is not found in having more, but in needing less and acting with non-harming (Ahimsa).

​3. Deep Ecology: From Master to Member

​Philosopher Arne Naess formalized these ideas into Deep Ecology, directly challenging anthropocentrism. Deep Ecology asserts that all life has intrinsic value, independent of its usefulness to humans.

​We must shift our identity from being the Master of the Earth to being a Plain Citizen of the biotic community. This shift is profound: it moves environmental protection from an ethical chore (something we should do for humans) to an existential necessity (something we must do for ourselves, because we are the system).

​The Path Forward

​The path out of Global Self-Sabotage is not a new technological solution; it is a profound cultural and psychological revolution.

​We already know what the best way is. We´ve known for thousands of years. It is the wisdom held by the Kogui, the Buddhists, and the systems thinkers: that the planet is not a pile of parts to be exploited, but a single, living, breathing being which we must allow to exist in balance.

​The sadness is real, but it is not a destination. It is a catalyst. Our task is to dismantle the myth of the infinite, embrace the responsibility of the seventh generation, and choose relationality over extraction. This is the choice between self-sabotage and species maturity.

Will our species be mature enough to accomplish this? I will give you my opinion; there is no way in hell we will change! So sad.

Thanks for reading. Abrazos.

Diego Rojas