The Universe as a Living System

Duane Elgin, media activist and pioneer of the "Voluntary Simplicity" movement, describes the perception that the universe is dead as the root cause of the exploitative mindset.
Duane asks, how can we shift cultural perception in order to see the universe as a living system?

Duane Elgin is an author, speaker, educator, consultant, and media activist. For more than three decades, Duane has been in the forefront of exploring humanity's evolutionary journey, sustainable ways of living, media accountability and citizen empowerment, and the convergence of the new science with the world's wisdom traditions. He pioneered the “Voluntary Simplicity” movement with his now classic first book, titled by the same name, published in the 1980s. In his most recent book, Promise Ahead: A Vision of Hope and Action for Humanity's Future (2000), Elgin explores how humanity is on the brink of a global, whole-system crisis where we will have the choice of either pulling together to create an evolutionary bounce, or pulling apart to precipitate an evolutionary crash. Full bio and links »