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environmental philosophy in asian traditions of thought

By: James Miller

Environmental Philosophy in Asian Traditions of Thought
Environmental Philosophy in Asian Traditions of Thought

Announcing a fantastic new resource for environmental philosophy, shortly to be published by SUNY press. There is a great section on China including new essays by scholars working on Daoism and Confucianism. Check out the publisher’s page here.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction

Section I: Environmental Philosophy in Indian Traditions of Thought

1. George Alfred James, “Environment and Environmental Philosophy in India”
2. Christopher Framarin, “ƖWPDQ, Identity, and Emanation: Arguments for a Hindu Environmental Ethic”
3. Bart Gruzalski, “Gandhi’s Contributions to Environmental Thought and Action”
4. Stephanie Kaza, “Acting with Compassion: Buddhism, Feminism, and the Environmental Crisis”
5. Simon P. James, “Against Holism: Rethinking Buddhist Environmental Ethics”
6. Ian Harris, “Causation and ‘Telos’: The Problem of Buddhist Environmental Ethics”

Section II: Environmental Philosophy in Chinese Traditions of Thought

7. Mary Evelyn Tucker, “The Relevance of Chinese Neo-Confucianism for the Reverence of Nature”
8. R. P. Peerenboom, “Beyond Naturalism: A Reconstruction of Daoist Environmental Ethics”
9. Karyn L. Lai, “Conceptual Foundations for Environmental Ethics: A Daoist Perspective”
10. Alan Fox, “Process Ecology and the ‘Ideal’ Dao”
11. Sandra A. Wawrytko, “The Viability (Dao) and Virtuosity (De) of Daoist Ecology: Reversion (Fu) as Renewal”
12. James Miller, “Ecology, Aesthetics and DaoistBody Cultivation”

Section III: Environmental Philosophy in Japanese Traditions of Thought

13. Steve Odin, “The Japanese Concept of Nature in Relation to the Environmental Ethics and Conservation Aesthetics of Aldo Leopold”
14. Deane Curtin, “Dōgen, Deep Ecology and the Ecological Self”
15. David Edward Shaner and R. Shannon Duval, “Conservation Ethics and the Japanese Intellectual Tradition” 291
16. Hiroshi Abe, “From Symbiosis (Kyōsei) to the Ontology of ‘Arising Both from Oneself and from Another’(Gūshō)”
17. Tomosaburō Yamauchi, “The Confucian Environmental Ethics of Ogyū Sorai: A Three-Level, Eco-humanistic Interpretation”
18. James McRae, “Triple-Negation: Watsuji Tetsurō on the Sustainability of Ecosystems, Economies, and International Peace.”

Afterword: J. Baird Callicott, “Recontextualizing the Self in Comparative Environmental Philosophy”
Contributors
Index

Categories: Blog

6 comments

  1. If environmental sustainability is really such a tenant of both Taoism and Buddhism, I’d love to know what the authors Callicott & McRae think the reason is for the current level of environmental degradation going on in China right now? Both religions still have quite a bit of followers in China and it simply doesn’t make sense that the country would be top toxicifying itself if both religions were truly so adamant about environmental stewardship.

    1. Thanks for the question. I think the short answer is that China’s revolutions throughout the 20th century were a deliberate attempt to overthrow traditional values in favour of westernization and rapid economic development. Secondly, the quest to find environmental values in traditional cultures is a very modern activity.

  2. If environmental sustainability is really such a tenant of both Taoism and Buddhism, I’d love to know what the authors Callicott & McRae think the reason is for the current level of environmental degradation going on in China right now? Both religions still have quite a bit of followers in China and it simply doesn’t make sense that the country would be top toxicifying itself if both religions were truly so adamant about environmental stewardship.

    1. Thanks for the question. I think the short answer is that China’s revolutions throughout the 20th century were a deliberate attempt to overthrow traditional values in favour of westernization and rapid economic development. Secondly, the quest to find environmental values in traditional cultures is a very modern activity.

  3. After 1949 there were continuous storms in the field of ideologies, thoughts, projects and planning. There were invasion of western capitalism as well, beside all sorts of crises within the Chinese society. One of the major problems was to feed one hundred billion people. So, for the time being China had to compromise between Socialism and Capitalism. Now after resolving this major problem, China regenerating itself with vigor and beauty of the Great Ancient Civilization and looking beyond 21st century, not only for the Chinese but for the entire Humanity of the world.

  4. After 1949 there were continuous storms in the field of ideologies, thoughts, projects and planning. There were invasion of western capitalism as well, beside all sorts of crises within the Chinese society. One of the major problems was to feed one hundred billion people. So, for the time being China had to compromise between Socialism and Capitalism. Now after resolving this major problem, China regenerating itself with vigor and beauty of the Great Ancient Civilization and looking beyond 21st century, not only for the Chinese but for the entire Humanity of the world.

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