Steps to an Ecology of Mind: Collected Essays in Anthropology, Psychiatry, Evolution, and Epistemology

Gregory Bateson’s work emerged during a time of growing interest in systems theory and ecological awareness, aligning with movements such as cybernetics and the environmental consciousness of the 1970s. Steps to an Ecology of Mind remains representative of the cultural milieu of a period marked by significant intellectual and societal transformations. The book reflects and critiques the dominant paradigms of its time, particularly the reductionist and mechanistic perspectives that shaped much of Western science, economics, and governance during the mid-20th century. Bateson’s work resonates with the countercultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s, which questioned hierarchical systems, celebrated holistic approaches, and sought to bridge the gap between scientific understanding and human values. Bateson also reflects a relaxed attitude about psychedelic drugs, arguing (as he does in Part 5, Chapter 3) that one should go through such an experience to understand that one’s consciousness is not all-encompassing.

Bateson’s emphasis on interconnectedness and systems thinking reflects a growing awareness of ecological and environmental crises in the 1970s. Bateson expands this ecological awareness beyond the environmental sphere, applying it to human psychology, communication, and social structures. Bateson’s critique of scientific thinking and the dominance that humans exercise over nature resonate with a generation grappling with the disillusionment of post-WWII industrial progress and the rise of ecological, feminist, and anti-colonial perspectives.