Environmental Perspectives

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Environmental Perspectives

• Greek Thought (continued)
• Two Interpretations of the Bibles teaching
• Medieval Thought

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Hebrew Thought Abraham 2000? BCE Moses 1300?
BCE (Emphasis on Faith and Relationship to the
One True God)
Postmodern thinkers reject rationality (reason)
as the foundation of knowledge.
20th Century and Postmodern Period
Renaissance and Modern Period 1500-1900 CE
Medieval Period 300-1500 CE
Jesus
Roman Empire
Renaessance and Modern thinkers reemphasized
human Reason apart from religion. Reason and
science seen as the foundation of knowledge.
Medieval thinkers sought to integrate Greek
philosophy and theology (Jewish, Christian, and
Islamic Thinkers).
Greek Thought Socrates 470-399 BCE Plato 427-327
BCE Aristotle 384-322 BCE (Emphasis on Reason and
Developing as a Rational Being)
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Some important ideas of particular Greek
philosophers

• Plato (a very influential Greek philosopher)
• The physical world was created out of preexisting
  matter according to the pattern of ideal
  non-physical (intellectual) Forms. These
  forms are perfect. Physical matter is always
  imperfect.
• For humans, the soul is the non-physical reality
  which must try to free itself form the corrupting
  influence of the physical body. (Dualism of body
  and soul)
• The physical world is less important than the
  non-physical world.

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Examing Two Examples Plato and Aristotle

• Plato
• What picture of the universe does Plato paint?
• What is the creator like?
• What is the creation like?
• Aristotle
• What is the relationship between humans and the
  rest of creation?
• What sets humans apart?

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Some important ideas of particular Greek
philosophers

• The Atomists
• Everything consists of tiny indivisible bits of
  stuff (matter) which are floating in empty space.
• When these bits of stuff combine, the form
  everything else.
• This is all that exists. There is no
  non-physical soul or God, all that exists are
  matter (atoms) and empty space (void).
• The atomist view is not consistent with the
  majority view in Greek thought, but came to be
  very influential in the 17th century.

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Some important ideas of particular Greek
philosophers

• Protagoras
• Man is the measure of all things.
• it followed that all things have usefulness to
  mankind as their reason for existence.
• J. Donald Hughes, page 160.

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. Greek Thought The Cosmos as a living being

• The ancient Greek thinkers did not all teach the
  same ideas. Here are some prominent ideas,
  however
• Nature is orderly. (The early Greek philosophers
  began looking for principles of the physical
  world.)
• Departure from animism. From a realm of many
  irrational gods to a world discoverable by
  reason.
• The universe, or the earth, is (like) a living
  being. It is a body with soul which gives it
  life. Thus nature is seen organically, as an
  organism. We are parts of a great living thing.
  (For example, see Platos Timaeus)
• Human beings, because of their rational
  capacities, have a place above other animals and
  plants. (Aristotle even says these lower things
  are for man.)

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The Roman Period

• Some influences from Roman attitudes (Donald
  Hughes, page 161)
• Demonstrated ability to dominate.
• Nature no longer sacred.
• The natural environment like one of their
  conquered provinces.

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Hebrew Thought The Cosmos as Gods Creation

• Here are some important themes
• The Earth (and all that is on it) is Creation.
  It is not divine, but created. Yet it belongs to
  God. (Other gods of physical things are not
  real gods.)
• The world as created is good. God says that it
  is good, and very good.
• Human beings have a special status (made in the
  image of God) and a special role (to have
  dominion over the creation).
• Next week well look at how this has been
  interpreted much more closely.

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Hebrew Thought Abraham 2000? BCE Moses 1300?
BCE (Emphasis on Faith and Relationship to the
One True God)
Postmodern thinkers reject rationality (reason)
as the foundation of knowledge.
20th Century and Postmodern Period
Renaissance and Modern Period 1500-1900 CE
Medieval Period 300-1500 CE
Jesus
Roman Empire
Renaessance and Modern thinkers reemphasized
human Reason apart from religion. Reason and
science seen as the foundation of knowledge.
Medieval thinkers sought to integrate Greek
philosophy and theology (Jewish, Christian, and
Islamic Thinkers).
Greek Thought Socrates 470-399 BCE Plato 427-327
BCE Aristotle 384-322 BCE (Emphasis on Reason and
Developing as a Rational Being)
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What is the Christian view of how humans are to
relate to the rest of creation?

• The Domination View

• The Stewardship View

• Humans have been given the earth by God to use
  for their own benefit.
• The human task is to use and transform animals,
  plants and other parts of creation.
• They are all created for the good of humankind,
  as resources, as lessons, etc.

• Humans have been charged with being stewards of
  Gods creation.
• Although God has given humans the use of creation
  for human life, creation has inherent value as
  Gods creation.
• It is not just for humans.

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The Development of the Domination View

• Early Christian thinkers, such as Origen, were
  greatly influenced by Greek thought.
• In many ways their view of nature can be seen as
  a kind of synthesis between the Judeo/Christian
  view and the Greek/Roman view.

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Hebrew/Christian Greek/RomanIn the history of
Western thought, the two strands intermingled in
important and influential ways

• The idea that human beings are made in the image
  of God (Hebrew) tended to be equated with the
  idea that humans are rational beings (Greek).
• Soul and reason tended to be equated, so that
  only humans were thought to have souls (and only
  humans were thought to be rational).
• Humans should seek to serve God
  (Hebrew/Christian) by trying to purify the
  spiritual soul from its physical prison (The
  influence of Plato). (Dualism)
• The physical world is not as important as the
  spiritual (intellectual) world in the Christian
  life. The physical world is only a place of
  temptation and trials. (Another form of dualism.)

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The domination view tends to teach that there is
a sharp dualism (separation) of the
human/spiritual and the earthly/physical.

• Less valuable, or a source of temptation to evil
• Animals
• Emotion
• Physical pleasure
• The physical world
• (Women)

• Good and valuable
• Humans
• Reason
• Spiritual life
• The heavenly world
• (Men)

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• These ideas have led some Christians to believe
• That everything on the earth exists only for
  humans, and was given to humans by God.
• That only humans are rational, and that only
  human life is valuable in itself.
• That the physical world is not important, since
  the spiritual world in heaven is our real home.
• Does the Bible really teach these things? I
  dont think it does.
• Nevertheless, these ideas greatly influenced how
  humans in the Christian world viewed nature, and
  still influence us today.

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Some Medieval Themes

• Nature as a hierarchy emanating from God, God
  (the One) at the top and physical matter at the
  bottom.
• The unique central place of human beings.
• Nature as worthy of study as a reflection of God
  and Gods glory and wisdom.

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The Great Chain of Being encourages the
Domination View

• By saying that earthly life is not important, and
  the physical world is not as valuable.
• But seeing life as a journey in which one is
  trying to escape the lower levels (physical
  world) and go to the spiritual world.
• By suggesting that the things below are for,
  to be used by the things above.

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Thus there were some Christian teachings that
encouraged ecological exploitation

• By desacrilizing nature (by rejecting the pagan
  worldview in which nature is full of spirits).
• By encouraging the domination of nature (through
  its interpretation of the Bibles claim for human
  dominion, etc.).
• By degrading the value of nature and matter (by
  pointing to a salvation of the soul away from the
  body and the earth).

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• Example Thomas Aquinas
• Humans are rational, while animals are not. This
  gives humans a kind of freedom.
• Humans can treat animals in any way that is good
  for humans.
• If the Bible says that animals should not be
  treated cruelly, it is to prevent cruelty to
  humans or to prevent indirect harm to humans.
• See the readings from Thomas Aquinas.

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The Alternative Stewardship View

• Throughout the history of Christianity, there
  have been some Christians who rejected the idea
  that the Bible taught that humans should dominate
  creation.
• They have taught that
• The earth is the Lords
• Humans are stewards, or caretakers
• Even animals (and plants) have value to God,
  apart from their value to humans.

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The stewardship interpretation of have dominion

• The word that is translated rule or have
  dominion refers to one who rules under a king,
  as the kings vice-regent, or vicegerent.
• Thus, humans are to rule for God, taking care of
  Gods world.
• God is still the owner, humans are tenants and
  managers.

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Some examples of positive Christian views of
animals in the medieval period and later.

• Irenaeus (130-200)
• St. Basil the Great (329-373) Prayer for a
  Deeper Sense of Fellowship with All Living
  Things
• O God, grant us a deeper sense of fellowship with
  all living things, our little brothers and
  sisters to whom in common with us you have given
  this earth as home. We recall with regret that in
  the past we have acted high-handedly and cruelly
  in exercising our domain over them. Thus, the
  voice of the earth which should have risen to you
  in song has turned into a groan of travail. May
  we realize that all these creatures also live for
  themselves and for you - not for us alone. They
  too love the goodness of life, as we do, and
  serve you better in their way than we do in ours.
  Amen. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Bishop, Doctor
• St Francis of Assisi. (1181-1226) Canticle of
  Brother Sun, Sister Moon.
• See Handout
• Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) All life is
  valuable in itself.
• See Ecology and Religion, by Kinsley

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Learning from the Book of Nature(A more positive
Medieval theme)

• In spite of the rather low view of animals during
  the Medieval period, nature in general was seen
  as worthy of study as a place of signs and truths
  from God.
• A growing use of the image of Nature as a book,
  parallel to the Bible, through which humans learn
  about God and other things. The Two Books (Bible
  and Nature)

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Some Conclusions

• There have been elements in the history of
  Christianity (and other theistic religions) which
  have encourage mistreatment of the creation.
• But there is teaching in the Bible that others
  have emphasized
• The earth is Gods
• We are to be stewards of it.