Val Plumwood

Val Plumwood passed away at the age of 68 after suffering a stroke. She was a prominent Australian environmental philosopher who lived her life on her own terms, often in defiance of dominant practices. Her book, Feminism and the Mastery of Nature (1992), is considered a classic.

In the 1970s, Plumwood engaged in a radical critique of the traditional western notion of nature where only human beings mattered and the natural world had little moral significance. This criticism emerged in Norway and Australia, with the Norwegian criticism spearheaded by philosopher Arne Naess, who founded the deep ecology movement. In Australia, a small group of philosophers at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, including Plumwood, initiated the movement.

Both Naess and the ANU group recognized that the world’s environmental problems stemmed from faulty philosophies and attitudes towards nature inherent in western thought, whereby only humans mattered morally, leaving nature in constant jeopardy. The conservation of nature was solely driven by its perceived utility for future human generations, placing no moral obligation on humanity to protect nature for its own sake.

Plumwood and her second husband, philosopher Richard Routley, delved deep into the topic of whether there was a need for a new environmental ethic that respected nature. They explored this question extensively throughout their lives. She believed that the belief in anthropocentrism, which upholds humans as superior to nature, rests on the assumption that humans are fundamentally different from the rest of the natural world because of their mind. This dualism between mind and matter led to a division between reason and nature in the western tradition, with reason being the superior entity.

Plumwood analyzed how this division has historically been built and how it forms the basis of western thought’s many categories. Her work revealed how this created an inferiority complex for all aspects correlated to nature and not reason. Hence any one and everything associated with nature, including women, working-class, colonized, indigenous people, and other-than-human forms of life were deemed subordinate. This notion legitimized the suppression of many marginalized social groups, implying that environmental conservations are irrevocably tied to the struggle for social justice.

Plumwood made intimate connections with the natural world, drawing from the life community around her. Having grown up as Val Morrell amidst poor parents who ran a poultry farm surrounded by forests near Sydney, in the 1970s, Plumwood and Routley built a stone house in a temperate rainforest in southern Australia. She lived there alone after her divorce in 1981, considering herself part of a convivial biotic community consisting of animal and plant beings that provided her with great insight into local history.

Naming herself after Plumwood mountain, her home nestled amidst the rainforest, she adopted a name fitting her deep connection with nature. Similarly, Routley changed his name to Sylvan, under which he published his later work. Despite her extensive academic background in philosophy, Plumwood remained critical of academic orthodoxy, choosing instead to maintain her independence as a scholar.

She taught philosophy at various universities across Sydney, Perth, Tasmania, North Carolina, and Montana. In 1991, ANU awarded her with a PhD degree, inviting her to their Fenner School of Environment and Society as a visiting fellow by the time she passed away. Besides theorizing nature’s oppression, Plumwood was actively involved in environmental conservation, fighting to protect Australia’s rainforests and old-growth forests throughout her life. She co-authored the seminal book, The Fight for the Forests (1973), with her husband, Richard Routley.

Val Plumwood was a remarkable individual who left a lasting impression on those who knew her. As her colleague and friend, I believe that her most significant legacy was her unwavering integrity. Val was not one to conform to societal norms and lived her life with conviction and gusto. She actively advocated for the rights of non-human beings that crossed her path, whether it was mourning wildlife, destroyed flowers, or hunted crocodiles in Northern Australia.

Val’s actions demonstrated how philosophy can be more than just a collection of words but a way of living one’s life. Her courage to stand up for what she believed truly was inspiring and a testament to a life lived with purpose. Val’s dedication to advocating for the voiceless was commendable, and her unwavering spirit challenged others to reflect on their own actions. Unfortunately, Val faced the devastating loss of both her son and daughter from her first marriage, which must have been an immeasurable heartache for her.

Val Plumwood was a philosopher and an activist who was born on August 11th, 1939. Her legacy will live on as an inspiration of how we can change the world through our actions and beliefs. She passed away on February 29th, 2008, but her impact on the world continues to this day.