Wendell Berry distinguishes between the rational and sympathetic mind in order to describe societal tendencies. I feel like the term rational-mind refers to a mind that uses reason and logic to make decisions. It is a mind that is not restricted by any preconceived notions or beliefs about justifications for actions. A rational mind is essentially one that is driven by empirical values and tendencies without being held accountable by things such as responsibility to an authority or value system. It uses facts to pass judgments, not feelings.
The sympathetic mind, on the other hand, does just the opposite. It is not limited to the basis of factual conclusions but rather keeps everything in check by placing importance on things other than that such as a general consideration for all things. A sympathetic mind is always concerned the ethical weight of what is right and what is wrong. It wishes to be inclusive of all aspects of a situation.
Erik Reece tends to use a sympathetic mind when dealing the topics he discusses in Lost Mountain. In the Before the Law chapter, Reece discusses his hesitation to make the ICG representative feel bad about his role in the destruction caused by his company's mining. Reece says, "I almost wanted to apologize to the regulators for putting them through all this...This was the one day when I actually held a degree of power and leverage against a leviathan industry, but I found that I wasn't much enjoying it."(Pg. 219). Reece felt the need to look at all aspects of the situation and because of his sympathetic mind he realized that not everyone in the coal industry are bad, heartless people. Reece also includes a section in the RFK in EKY chapter that quotes a man involved in the coal industry that explains that he is just a local person trying to make the most of his opportunities. Reece most likely includes this statement alongside all of the contrary propaganda to show that he wants to include every aspect of the story and the ramifications that each and every individual will yield if change were to occur.
On Page 230 of Lost Mountain, Reece makes a very powerful statement, "As a consumer driven culture, we have chosen to no longer think of the world as God-given...We too seldom see value in the natural world, whether aesthetic or intrinsic; we only see something we can use, even if that means using it up." This quote struck a chord with me because of its apparent validity. Time and time again the human race has knowingly used up the resources provided by the world for short-term gain. We do not care that future generations will not have the same opportunities as us because it does not directly affect us... today. But what about tomorrow? Reece goes on to discuss pantheism and how the the worship of God in nature may bring society back to a time of affluence by working WITH nature and not against it. I found many of his points to be extremely poignant and vital to our future, not only as an individual, but as a nation, and even as an integral part of human society as a whole. I am glad I read this book.
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I agree with many of your points. In order for a our future generations to continue on it is vital that we as humans think long term. Long term when dealing with natural resources because, like you said time and time again we use up resources very quickly and we seldom think of the generations to come. This type of thought process can lead to the destruction and failure of humankind.
ReplyDeleteLauren,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your quote it really stuck with me as well. It is really hard to actually think about it, but all people are worried about our themselves. People just want to make sure they are taken care of. It is also interesting to see that our society has come such a far way in believing that this land is from God. People just want the profit and at the end of the day the profit means nothing.
I like how you defined the terms and applied them by pointing to Reece's sympathy for the coal workers.
ReplyDeleteYour quote is interesting. He makes this point a number of times and in different ways. I think he also complicates it by asserting that money can be made through sustainable practices, selective logging, e.g. This shows that he is not extreme, not a radical "deep ecologist" who wants nature to be left alone.
I, too, am glad that I read this book. I did not really enjoy reading it at first, but I think that I was simply scared of the reality.
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