A Problem in Ecology or an Ecological Problem? The Role of the Human and Social Sciences in Environmental Education

Abstract

In the popular imagination and public conception, science, regarded as value-free, universal, and objective, and literature, deemed imaginative and culture-specific, are often considered irreconcilable. This belief has shaped our attitude toward the environment and the global ecological crisis. The introduction of environmental studies at the school and undergraduate levels across India attempts to engage young minds with these urgent issues. However, such courses largely reflect a technocratic notion of science. This paper argues that the environmental crisis cannot be understood as a purely scientific issue. It proposes that environmental education must integrate literature and the human and social sciences to develop ecological awareness that is moral, cultural, and political as well as scientific.