Hinduism and environmental ethics law, literature, and. Kosho niwano argues that religious leaders must make an appeal to society about environmental ethics. The fact that environmental ethics can be linked to hindu traditions does not mean that devotees will internalize those ethics. All of us, whose lives are supported by this miraculous planet earth, need to think about what we can and should do to protect the earths environment, so that all of us can continue to live here. First, hinduism is a dharmic religion, where the concept of dharma is considered.
Ramaswami aiyar foundation, chennai, india this is a pathbreaking book that deserves to be widely read. Cromwell crawfords dilemmas of life and death is a significant new contribution. Instrumentalist interpretations of hindu environmental ethics. Although the book is written as a primary text for an environmental ethics course, some of its later chapters are clearly. The seoul declaration on environmental ethics was adopted on 5 june 1997 by an international seminar on environmental ethics for the twentyfirst century convened in collaboration with unep on the occasion of the twentyfifth anniversary of the stockholm declaration on the human environment. Environmental ethics is a recent branch of knowledge and from the very beginning it has attracted the. Hindus have a similar attitude to nature to that of the buddhists. In 2009, the convocation of hindu spiritual leaders adopted the inaugural hindu declaration on climate change at the parliament of the world religions, which was later reintroduced in the leadup to the paris climate conference in 2015, gaining endorsements from various hindu organizations and activists worldwide. Beginning with an application of the western philosophical and cultural traditions of. Sources, norms, and issues care for the earth is more than an earth day slogan. Accepted december, 2011 the indian religious traditions are intertwined with equally disparate cultural, social, linguistic. Ananda mishra, banaras hindu university, india, 2012, pp208.
Accordingly, the hindu vision of morality and ethics. Ethics can be described as the science of morality, and morality as the living of a virtuous life. Catholic doctrine and catholic moral theology provide a rich grounding for dealing with the complex and often perplexing issues that constitute todays environmental crisis. Framarins main thesis is that certain important hindu texts are implicitly committed to the claim that plants and animals have direct moral standing, that is to say that their wellbeing ought to be considered when we decide how to act. The common scriptural ground on which the whole system of hindu ethics is founded is the postulation of a summum bonum and the proper means to achieve it. We consider three accounts of what it means to be an ethics. Pancha mahabhutas the five great elements create a web of life that is shown forth in. The book is well researched on hindu animal ethics from the vedic to the contemporary and is an important contribution to our knowledge of the cooperation between human beings and the animal world. Jun 10, 2011 millions of hindus recite sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers, mountains, trees, animals and the earth. Baird callicotts nature in asian traditions of thought, grew out of this meeting, and since its release there have been only two other books to deal with the. Framarins new book is a study of hindu environmental ethics focused on three key sanskrit texts manusm. Literature, and philosophy routledge hindu studies series view larger image.
Modern western approaches to india often have focused on metaphysics at the e. This book argues that the standard arguments for and against the claim that certain. In some parts of the world, what you are doing is already apparent. The role of daoism in environmental ethics in china. A central aspect of ethics is the good life, the life worth living or life that is simply satisfying, which is held by many philosophers to be more important than traditional moral conduct most religions have an ethical component, often derived from purported supernatural revelation or guidance. Law, literature, and philosophy crc press book this book argues that the standard arguments for and against the claim that certain hindu texts and traditions attribute direct moral standing to animals and plants are unconvincing.
According to the world health organization, the warming of the planet caused an additional 140,000 deaths in 2004, as compared with the number of deaths there would have been had average global temperatures remained as they were during the period 1961 to 1990. Aug 08, 2015 this book is a welcome addition to the literature on indian philosophy and environmental ethics. First and primarily, the book speaks to specialists in the field as it makes substantive contributions in the field of crosscultural philosophy focused on the intersection between environmental ethics and hinduism, both by the original arguments developed in part two, and in the critique of existing work in part one. Hindu views of nature and the environment springerlink. In this universe every single organism had its own identity, none other organism was in the situation to take place of another organism. Environmental philosophy is a global matter and hence it is appropriate that it should draw on a global variety of philosophical traditions. Many environmental ethicists believe that any adequate environmental ethic should attribute direct moral standing often glossed in terms of intrinsic value to plants, animals, and the rest of nature. Law, literature, and philosophy routledge hindu studies series. Framarin, 9780415711487, available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
Buddhist environmental ethics sunnataram forest monastery. Comparative environmental philosophy is a relatively new discipline that came into existence in 1984 at the institute for comparative philosophy at the university of hawaii. The answers to these questions will depend upon 1 what one means by virtue ethics, 2 how one restricts the scope of the term hindu ethics, and 3 whether one is construing the question as about the external or internal history of hindu ethics. Discusses the hindu religious scriptures as teachings about the human relationship with the environment and attitude toward ecology. But certain interpretations of hindu environmental ethics apparently attribute only instrumental value to nature. A central aspect of ethics is the good life, the life worth living or life that is simply satisfying, which is held by many philosophers to be more important than traditional moral conduct. Millions of hindus recite sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers, mountains, trees, animals and the earth. List of books and articles about environmental ethics. Environmental ethics is a recent branch of knowledge and from the very beginning it has attracted the mind of the scholars for exploring this branch of knowledge in. Although the chipko treehugging movement is the most widely known example of hindu environmental leadership, there are examples of hindu action for. Presents the hindu view of humanity as it relates to the environment as portrayed in the hindu theories.
Hinduism and environmental ethics christopher g framarin. This places them in direct conflict with the purported adequacy condition. A sustainable ethic is an environmental ethic by which people treat the earth as if its resources are limited. In a book chapter on environmental movements in hinduism. Buy hinduism and environmental ethics routledge hindu studies series 1 by framarin, christopher isbn. In population, consumption and the environment, harold coward, ed. Ethics involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Hinduism and environmental ethics by christopher g. The history of nonwestern science book series sach, volume 4. Law, literature, and philosophy routledge hindu studies series 1 by christopher g.
Environmental ethics in the hindu vedas and puranas in india r. This book argues that the standard arguments for and against the claim that certain hindu texts and traditions attribute direct moral standing to animals and. Renugadevi department of history, annamalai university, annamalainagar608002. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. In hinduism, there is a sympathetic identification of humanity with nature. Describes how religion has been a historical teacher of environmental ethics. According to environmental ethics, humans are part of the natural community rather than managers of it.
In his recent book hinduism and environmental ethics, christopher framarin claims that it is because hindu instrumentalism about nature is either viciously circular or unacceptably arbitrary. This book argues that the standard arguments for and against the claim that certain hindu texts and traditions attribute direct moral standing to animals and plants are unconvincing. Purity, abortion, and euthanasia volume that i wrote with julius lipner and. Hindu ethics by harold coward goodreads share book. The opening article, by arabinda ray, which examines business ethics in its varied dimensions, is a fitting preamble to the book, for it encapsulates all the core values that a business. This book is of interest to scholars of hinduism and the environment, religion and the environment, hindu andor buddhist philosophy more broadly, and environmental ethics. Law, literature, and philosophy routledge hindu studies series kindle edition by framarin, christopher g download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Although the chipko treehugging movement is the most widely known example of hindu environmental leadership, there are examples of hindu action for the environment that are centuries old. Hinduism and environmental ethics routledge hindu studies. This short case study is thus representative of a larger challenge in using any religion or faith as a normative basis for action. This book, an anthology of some of the finest writings on environmental ethics, seeks to address this issue. Naturally, scholars of jain environmental ethics, such as christopher chapple, have advocated the ascetic model for environmental ethics in their writings, while scholars of hindu environmental ethics, such as vasudha narayanan and david haberman, have emphasized the devotional model.
Although the book is written as a primary text for an environmental ethics course, some of its later chapters are clearly written more for academic philosophers than undergraduate students. It is explained as the casting aside of all forms of weapons, being conscientious about depriving a living being of life. The central question addressed is whether the hindu tradition attributes direct moral standing to plants and animals. Hinduism and environmental ethics pages 206 pages this book argues that the standard arguments for and against the claim that certain hindu texts and traditions attribute direct moral standing to animals and plants are unconvincing.
Ishavasyam divinity is omnipresent and takes infinite forms. Hindus place greater emphasis on the attitude of the mind rather than on postulation of the elaborate theories of what is right and what is wrong. This highest ideal is the state of liberation or mokosa. Such an ethic places limits on human activities such as uncontrolled resource use that may adversely affect the natural community.
This book is a welcome addition to the literature on indian philosophy and environmental ethics. It presents careful, extensive, and original interpretations of passages from the manusmrti law, the mahabharata literature, and the yogasutra philosophy, and argues that these texts attribute direct moral. The wellknown five precepts panca sila form the minimum code of ethics that every lay buddhist is expected to adhere to. In this new edition of a text for undergraduates, pojman philosophy, u. None of their traditions vedic, upanishadic, orthodox, etc. The central and most recalcitrant problem for environmental ethics is the problem of constructing an adequate theory of intrinsic value for nonhuman natural entities and for nature as a whole. Religion and environmentalism is an emerging interdisciplinary subfield in the academic disciplines of religious studies, religious ethics, the sociology of religion, and theology amongst others, with environmentalism and ecological principles as a primary focus. In a book chapter on environmental movements in hinduism, george. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading hinduism and environmental ethics. Granted the prevalence of hinduism in current day india, it could perhaps be beneficial to instigate an analysis of these religious views in order to. Until lynn white published his controversial article, the historical roots of our ecological. Hindu religion has a strong ethical direction aimed at keeping this relational. Its first precept involves abstention from injury to life.
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