The Living Wisdom and Ecological Civilization in an Anthropology Perspective

The construction of ecological civilization is one of the most important issues in Chinese society. Through interpretation of two concepts by Chinese scholars, living wisdom and ecological civilization in an anthropological perspective, this paper argues that ecological civilization could become an important issue at the present China has resulted from rethinking profoundly of “development”. The negative impacts that “development” has brought have caused intensive attention from the international society, and advocation of construction of ecological civilization is needed for further improvement of human civilization and is therefore a part of civilizing process. Living wisdom is irrational but the accumulation and deposit of experiences of living practice in all human cultures. It shouldn’t be ignored because of its irrationality. Through experience passing down by generations hunting and gathering the society has provided its members a great deal of knowledge with regard to their surroundings. Their views on other species of their surroundings have highly concerned anthropologists in recent decades. The mastery that many hunting and gathering societies and horticultural societies could maintain a state of equilibrium in ecological systems is their attitudes toward different species. This is one of their merits deserved to value.