Ecotheology

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses that , in the first chapter of "First along the River," Benjamin Kline traces the philosophical foundations of Western society's belief that humanity determines nature and that the needs of the environment are subordinate to human needs. The author points out that the philosophical underpinnings of human's relationship with nature have shifted from divine sanction to scientific principles. The paper continues that, in "Ecocentrism and the Anthropocentric Detour," George Sessions summarizes the historical development of how humans came to view nature through an anthropocentric lens.

Table of Contents
First Along the River by Benjamin Kline
Biblical Justifications for Dominating Nature
Seeking New Land
Rational Nature of the New World
Social and Political Thought in the 18th Century
Ecocentrism and the Anthropocentric Detour by George Sessions
Ecocentrism and Primal Cultures
Rise of the Anthropocentric Modern World
Spinoza's Pantheistic Metaphysics and the Romantic Movement
Nineteen and Early-Twentieth Century Origins of Environmentalism
Ecocentrism After World War II
Ecocentrism versus Anthropocentric Survival Environmentalism
Rise of the Long-range Deep Ecology Movement

From the Paper:

"As Christianity spread across Europe, however, this reverence for nature gave way to a desire to exploit nature. By the Middle Ages, scientific and technological changes allowed people to farm inhospitable land and otherwise "tame" nature. A bevy of technology "grain mills, harnesses, wheel plows and power trains with cranks, among others" allowed people to cultivate more crops and raise more animals. By increasing the food yield, the population tripled. By the 14th century, Europe had become a capital of trade and technology."

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