[Care, nature and heritage: shared care practices and thinking]

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Sociology
• Public Health

Context:

• Western progress, historically rooted in nature domination, has yielded material benefits and increased life expectancy.
• This progress has concurrently led to significant environmental destruction and social inequalities.
• Current ecological collapse and health crises necessitate a re-evaluation of societal paradigms.

Purpose:

• To advocate for a paradigm shift towards more holistic approaches to care.
• To integrate patients, caregivers, nature, and the environment as active partners in care.
• To reframe care as a foundational democratic principle essential for societal well-being.

Summary:

• The current model of progress, based on dominating nature, has created both material comfort and ecological/social damage.
• Addressing ecological collapse and health issues requires holistic care strategies that view people and nature as interconnected partners.
• Care, when viewed as a shared societal function, can be understood as a fundamental democratic principle.

Impact:

• Promotes a paradigm shift from anthropocentric progress to ecocentric and socially equitable models of care.
• Encourages the integration of environmental and social determinants into healthcare and public policy.
• Highlights the potential of care as a unifying democratic force for addressing complex global challenges.