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Nature, Economics, and Scream

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Art, Spirituality and Economics

Part of the book series: Virtues and Economics ((VIEC,volume 2))

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Abstract

A close interconnection between man and nature is the point of departure. The focus is on the close relationship with all kind of animals. Some strong examples of violence towards animals are presented. The violence is a direct result of methods applied by big scale farm-industries, supported by economists’ recommendations of profit maximization. The cure might consist of multiple remedies – a change in worldview from mechanistic to organic – a profound shift in mindset from a distanced and abstract view on other species to being in nature in a more unmediated and unreflective way. Instead of extensive abstract thinking about nature, we as human beings should be more fully aware that we are nature and need nature in order to fulfillment of our potential. Consequently, we should pay high respect to other animals and grant them intrinsic value. In the conclusion, it will be suggested that a more non-violent and frugal attitude to nature will be steps in the right direction. Munch’s painting Scream is used to illustrate the immense pain and suffering that are inflicted upon nature, not the least animals, in the modern industrialized society.

I am grateful to Luk Bouckaert for his inspiring advice of how to use Scream in this essay, and for substantive comments on an early draft.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There are four versions of Scream, not counting the lithographs. One version is a pastel-on-cardboard from 1885 with a stooping figure in the background and a self -authored poem which Munch painted onto the frame, describing the experience that prompted Scream (See the poem above).

  2. 2.

    A muzzle is a tool that binds the mouth, which prevents an animal from biting or eating.

  3. 3.

    http://meatless.no/dyrene/kua-og-kalven/ https://www.wired.com/2014/06/the-emotional-lives-of-dairy-cows/, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150428081801.htm

  4. 4.

    A case from 2017 illustrates that sever violence against a small (dog) puppy who after 5 months of mistreatment died, did not lead to imprisonment, but only a ban to keeping a dog that is abolished after 5 years. http://www.nettavisen.no/nyheter/innenriks/32-aring-mishandlet-valp--dmt-til-fengsel/3423378154.html

  5. 5.

    I was invited to watch a part of the experiement, which took place in the school in 2016.

  6. 6.

    An estimate is that 200 million Atltantic salmon was slaughered in Norway in 2012, (see Kristiansen 2013)

  7. 7.

    Plastic waste is slowly breaking down in smaller fragments known as “micro plastics”. There are many sources of these plastic waste islands from car tires to personal hygiene products. One calculation is that one billion (defined as plastic pieces that are smaller than five millimeters) of plastic pieces are generated every hour, and most of them end up in the sea. One of the problems is that micro plastics spread hazardous pollutants that pose a threat to the environment and human health since other environmental toxins latch onto micro plastics, and it is found down to 5000 meter under sea-level.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Strategy and Management, Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen, Norway

    Knut J. Ims

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  1. Knut J. Ims
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Correspondence to Knut J. Ims .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    Luk Bouckaert

  2. Department of Strategy and Management, Norwegian School of Economics, Bergen, Norway

    Knut J. Ims

  3. Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford, St. Giles, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Peter Rona

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Ims, K.J. (2018). Nature, Economics, and Scream. In: Bouckaert, L., Ims, K., Rona, P. (eds) Art, Spirituality and Economics. Virtues and Economics, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75064-4_15

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