Religious Pluralism in Environmental Ethics

Dr. Cliff Cain, Chair of the 2012 Westminster Symposium opens this years events by framing the topics of discussion. Following Dr. Cain, a featured speaker at Westminster College's 2012 Symposium on Religious Experience in a Global Society, Dr. J. Baird Callicott, Research Professor of Philosophy, University of North Texas (Denton, Texas), discusses "Religious Pluralism in Environmental Ethics." He speaks about the conversation among all the world religions regarding environmental issues.

Lynn White Jr.'s 1967 article in Science, "The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis," provided the stimulus for development of environmental philosophy in the 1970s. White blamed Genesis 1 : 26-28—in which "man" is exclusively created in the image of God, given dominion over the rest of creation, and charged to subdue it—for the environmental crisis of the mid-20th century. This accusation provoked Christian environmentalists to provide a counter interpretation of the same text and from it to develop a Judeo-Christian Stewardship Environmental Ethic. It also stimulated the development of environmental ethics in the context of other religious traditions, especially those of Asia—Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism most prominently.

Dr. Callicott is an expert in Asian religions and has been at the forefront of the new field of environmental philosophy and ethics. Dr. Callicott's research focuses on theoretical environmental ethics; the philosophy of ecology and conservation policy; and biocomplexity in the environment. He is co-Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy and author of books such as In Defense of the Land Ethic and Earth's Insights.

Presented at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri on September 18, 2012. Introduction by Westminster College Professor of Asian Philosophy and Religion, Dr. James McRae.

During the 2012 Westminster Symposium (now known as the Hancock Symposium) on “Religious Experience in Global Society,” a dynamic group of experts in their field offered presentations and discussions on everything from the existence of God to religion’s impact on sports, movies, business, literature, music, and science. The Westminster Symposium is a special academic experience not found at any other American college or university. Each year, the entire Westminster College community of faculty, staff, and students, as well as the general public, gather for two days to learn about one topic of global importance ranging from health, war in the Mideast, and the Digital Age. Noted experts on each subject have come from all over the world to take part in lectures, panel discussions, and presentations. With campuses in Fulton, Missouri and Mesa, Arizona, Westminster College is ranked one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country by Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, The Princeton Review and more.

Learn more
2012 Symposium: https://symposium.westminster-mo.edu/Archive/2012.html
Westminster College: https://www.wcmo.edu