Ontology and Cosmopolitics

It is not surprising at all that there exists multiple interpretations of what a world is to people. Studies have shown that every culture believes they got everything right and other cultures are crazy or essentially stupid for not believe as they do. My own personal world view my own cosmology, my own cosmological view of the earth system while weird to say that, it is absolutely true. Even using the word cosmology or a cosmological view brings two things into focus. The western view of science and the not western view of world. It can easily be argued that western science as it is today the devaluation/de-validating weapon used by dominate society on other world views. Hiding behind empiricism for the expressed purpose of exclusion of other cosmologies / world views. When working in concert together western science and indigenous knowledges / ontologies achieves better holistic results.

Blaser elucidates actions in his writings where Canadian Authorities unilaterally have banned all hunting of caribou in Newfoundland and Labrador for five years. Without considering the consequences to the Innu people. The Innu’s world view is centered around hunting and sharing atıˆku (caribou) (Blaser 2016). Their world view considers respectful treatment of the bones after consuming the atıˆku vital to the sustaining ensuring that they will come back (Blaser 2016). It is likely that hydroelectric power projects in the region led to the decline of the herd (Blaser 2016). In the name conservation tribal people pay the price on both ends of the controversy. They opposed the power projects from the beginning. They do not benefit from them and now because they dams impacted the herds it threatens their cultural practices and religion (Blaser 2016).

Here arises one of the many controversies between the cosmologies that expose the lack of vision and flexibility of western scientific cultural practices. Where doctors work tirelessly to relieve symptoms of the disease through surgery and prescription medication (Duffin 2004). Not much thought is given to the prevention of the disease which is caused by what is termed a mismatch disease by Daniel E. Lieberman in his 2013 book The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health, and Disease. Mismatch diseases are a function of a society that cultural evolved well beyond the body’s capacity to deal with copious amount of readily available foods especially in western societies. The net result is rampant obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and arterial diseases. Preventing obesity pretty much eliminates the other associated diseases listed.

Blaser’s provincial governmental scientist in much the same way eliminated all hunting of atıˆku to solve a problem caused by environmental impacts from climate change and more devastatingly the impacts of hydroelectric projects in remote regions of northern Canada. It treats the symptom and not the root cause. Pointing the finger of blame towards the people of Innu people and hunting. But maybe that is part of the mission of western science to divert attention and blame towards other cosmologies to further discredit their veracity. Purposeful directed misinformation on behalf of western society.

Western society and religion have been working diligently since the time of Columbus and nothing is more telling the results of the Valladolid controversy or debate (Latour 2004). The Spaniards found that I had a soul and as such I am much like my ancestors the subject of forced assimilation through the application and liberal use of religiosity. Pointing out the hypocrisy of the unchristian like treatment of people by Christians and church leaders assumes that religion is benevolent and not imperialist power in it’s own right seeking fortune and destruction of other cosmologies.

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Bibliography

Blaser, Mario. 2016. “Is Another Cosmopolitics Possible?” Cultural Anthropology 31 (4): 545–70. https://doi.org/10.14506/ca31.4.05.

Duffin, J. 2004. Review: The Body Multiple: Ontology in Medical Practice. Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences. Vol. 59. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhmas/jrh084.

Latour, Bruno. 2004. “Whose Cosmos, Which Cosmopolitics?” Common Knowledge 10 (3): 450–62.

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