DOI 10.5281/zenodo.7498401 1783 | V17.I12 LITERARY AND ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS: AN ECO- CRITICISM PERSPECTIVE NAHDHIYAH Doctoral Program, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, English Department, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar. Email: nahdhiyah.dhiyah@uin-alauddin.ac.id FATHU RAHMAN Faculty of Cultural Sciences, English Department, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar. Email: fathu.rahman@unhas.ac.id M. AMIR PATTU Faculty of Cultural Sciences, English Department, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar. Email: amirp@unhas.ac.id HERAWATY ABBAS Faculty of Cultural Sciences, English Department, Universitas Hasanuddin, Makassar. Email: herawaty@unhas.ac.id Abstract: Environmental issues inspired this research. Only ecological consciousness can minimize environmental damage. This study aims to show that studying literary work is one way that can be taken to overcome environmental problems. The research method is Ricoeur's Hermeneutics method which addresses the interpretation of the signs or symbols contained in the literary text. This research reveals that literary texts contain contents of ecological consciousness, namely literary texts have a spirit to direct humans to become humans who have ecological consciousness. Building ecological consciousness is targeting the wider community. Schools and higher education have an important role in building ecological consciousness. Index Terms: Literary Text, Ecological Consciousness, Environmental Issues 1. INTRODUCTION Cogito ergo sum, I think then I exist. This Rene Descartes's idea marks a paradigmatic change in determining human relations with things outside of himself, including nature. This idea has an extraordinary impact on the emergence of a spirit of optimism in humans to be able to conquer nature. Humans with their ratios strive to be able to change nature according to their needs. Nature and all things that are outside of humans are then placed as a means to fulfill human needs. This is the forerunner of the idea of anthropocentrism. According to Ferrante and Sartori, (2016, p.176) anthropocentrism is based on the belief that humans are the rulers and determinants of reality who will determine what becomes and happens to them. Therefore, everything that is outside the human being will be treated as an object that functions to fulfill human needs. In this context, humans are placed as the center of the universe which will be a measure of value so that everything will be considered valuable if it is able to provide benefits to humans. That is, nature in itself is seen as having no value. Anthropocentrism has poisoned