Lynn White Jr.’s essay, “The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis,” which first appeared in Science in 1967, has long been a cornerstone in the environmental studies literature. Yet subsequent research in the natural and social sciences, as well as in the environmental humanities, challenges many of White’s key assumptions and claims in this classic article including the uniquely dynamic presence of humans within a stable natural order, the pernicious metaphysical and moral implications of agriculture, the antiecological implications of democracy, and the direct linkage between the worldview of philosophical humanism (anthropocentrism) and environmental destruction. Although still relevant to current discussions about the cultural and historical roots of scientific and technological problems, White’s essay requires critical revision if it is to remain useful in clarifying the historical and cultural foundations of contemporary ecological attitudes and behaviors.
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