From applied physics to applied metaphysics

Political and institutional approaches have demonstrably failed for decades to ameliorate sufficiently the environmental impacts of human activity, above all global heating and the sixth mass extinction. While these should not be abandoned, there is overwhelming evidence indicating that the problem is, at its root, psychological. This paper combines theoretical aspects of Jungian psychology with insights from Gaia theory, deep ecology and other holistic worldviews, to identify both the factors that prevent an adequate response and the paradigm shift required to overcome them.