http://www.viridiandesign.org/principles.html
1) The well-being and flourishing of human and nonhuman life on Earth have value in themselves (synonyms: inherent worth; intrinsic value; inherent value). These values are independent of the usefulness of the nonhuman world for human purposes.
Is that first one a sentence? The second, makes me wonder about the stem cell research we discussed in chemistry - 99% human 1% cow or 50% 50% and who decides? what is non human and where will the line be drawn? and by whom? will we/they all agree?
2) Richness and diversity of life forms contribute to the realization of these values and are also values in themselves.
Sustaining as much diversity in creatures and lifeforms you would think would be a priority for humans - but when reading about these profiteers it seems not so. It should (to me anyway) be a value to preserve these lifeforms and ecosystems.
3) Humans have no right to reduce this richness and diversity except to satisfy vital needs.
I would agree. Searching for life makes a mission worthwhile seems odd to me as well.
4) Present human interference with the nonhuman world is excessive, and the situation is rapidly worsening.
This appears to be depressingly true and accelerating at a rapid pace. I believe there is an awakening of consciousness happening as well currently.
5) The flourishing of human life and cultures is compatible with a substantial decrease of the human population. The flourishing of nonhuman life requires such a decrease.
"Eat What You Kill"
It's perfectly acceptable to supersede some time-honored tool or practice. However, you should take pains to fully comprehend the thing you have rendered obsolescent. You are removing some part, however modest, of the infrastructure of civilization. You are destroying the work of previous designers; you should offer them the respect you yourself would hope for, under similar circumstances. This is for your own good. You can't comprehend your own accomplishment until you have fully internalized and understood the accomplishment that you are undoing.
6) Policies must therefore be changed. The changes in policies affect basic economic, technological structures. The resulting state of affairs will be deeply different from the present.
"Viridian Inactivism"
Activism is an attention hog, and very time and energy intensive. A better approach is to find the things you are doing that intensify the problem, and just cease doing them. Put in less overtime. Sleep late. Have a nap after lunch. Burn less midnight oil. Park your car, turn off all the lights in your apartment, and go outside in the sunshine and read a book. Spend an hour on your mascara if you feel like it. Don't allow yourself to be spooked into Stakhanovite overdrive; seek command of your own life, and enjoy being yourself.
7) The ideological change is mainly that of appreciating life quality (dwelling in situations of inherent worth) rather than adhering to an increasingly higher standard of living. There will be a profound awareness of the difference between big and great.
"The Future is History -- Be When You Are"
The past and the future are this place at a different time. The future is advancing upon you, and the past retreating, at a remorseless rate of one second per second. You can seek understanding anywhere, but you can only act in the moment.
8) Those who subscribe to the foregoing points have an obligation directly or indirectly to participate in the attempt to implement the necessary changes.
"Design For Evil"
Any innocent product which becomes suddenly genocidal in the hands of a tyrant has been designed by a dangerous naif. Every design process is incomplete unless it takes into careful consideration what could be done with the product by a dictatorial megalomaniac in command of a national economy, a secret police, and a large army.
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