scholarly journals Preserve or Destroy?

Oryx ◽  
1955 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mervyn Cowie

Why do we try to preserve wild animals? Why do we set aside delightful scenes of nature? Why do we establish open spaces and national parks? Would it not be better to accept here and now that man in his dominion over all the lesser creatures has every right to divest the land of animals, trees, or anything else which may stand in his way, or hinder him in exploiting the earth for the alleged well-being of mankind? Vast sums are spent in the larger continents to control domestic animal diseases; greater sums are spent in denuding the face of the earth of its natural cover, so that there can be more room for cattle, crops, factories and cities, in an attempt to meet the insatiable clamour of millions of human beings. Should we not pause to assess what irreplaceable assets are being endangered by this scramble and to what extent those assets contribute to men's peace of mind?

Author(s):  
Christopher Stroud

This commentary engages with the book’s chapters on colonial linguistics by highlighting that in their struggles to maintain their ancestral sovereignty, Indigenous peoples remind all of us that, for most of our histories as human beings on the Earth, we have exercised and cultivated our individual and collective powers to set in motion dynamic relationships of well-being and mutual benefit. The commentary argues that Indigenous peoples also remind us that it has only been in the last few millennia and in a few aberrant cultures that systems of domination such as patriarchy, ethnocentrism, and accumulation of wealth have sought to assure that our deployment of what Foucault refers to as the ‘awesome materiality’ of these powers no longer serves the life-seeking interests of ourselves, our communities, and humanity, but instead serves the death-seeking interests of processes of domination, such as colonization.


1994 ◽  
Vol 138 ◽  
pp. 404-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Dikötter

This yellow river, it so happens, bred a nation identified by its yellow skin pigment. Moreover, this nation also refers to its earliest ancestor as the Yellow Emperor. Today, on the face of the earth, of every five human beings there is one that is a descendant of the Yellow Emperor.


ICR Journal ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-96
Author(s):  
Shahino Mah Abdullah

The rise in world energy consumption has caused an alarming shortage of fossil fuels and an increase in carbon emissions. It has also led to various environmental issues, especially climate change, which threaten humanity’s access to food, water, shelter, energy and health. The growth of the human population combined with rapid development has caused excessive carbon emissions, while the conventional ways of energy production and utilisation need serious reconsideration. This article, therefore, draws attention to the vital role that human beings, as vicegerents of the Earth (khalifah), have in managing natural resources. It highlights the pivotal position of humans in the world, as trustees who bear great responsibility for maintaining the natural environment. At the same time, this article also draws attention to the Islamic concept of moderation (wasatiyyah) and its practice to improve the consumption of resources by reducing wastage and pollution. The concept of moderation in the context of consuming natural resources is generally supported by the advancements in maqasid al-shariah (higher objectives of Islamic law) that have included the significance of environmental preservation This article also seeks to inform the development of Renewable Energy (RE) in the context of the Islamic concern for inclusive well-being. Several policy actions capable of promoting the concept of I’mar al-ard (building of the Earth) and smart energy consumption are proposed to address environmental issues in our policy recommendations towards the end.


Author(s):  
Adrian Bardon

It is a striking—yet all too familiar—fact about human beings that our belief-forming processes can be so distorted by fears, desires, and prejudices that an otherwise sensible person may sincerely uphold false claims about the world in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. When we describe someone as being “in denial,” we mean that he or she is personally, emotionally threatened by some situation—and consequently has failed to assess the situation properly according to the evidence. People in denial engage in motivated reasoning about their situation: They (sincerely) argue and interpret evidence in light of a preestablished conclusion. One significant type of reason-distorting emotional threat is a threat to one’s ideological worldview. When group interests, creeds, or dogmas are threatened by unwelcome factual information, biased thinking becomes ideological denialism. (One critical example of such denialism is the widespread denial of settled climate science.) Denial can stand in the way of individual well-being, and ideological denialism can stand in the way of good public policy. This book is a wide-ranging examination of denial and denialism. It offers a readable overview of the social psychology of denial, and examines the role of ideological denialism in conflicts over public policy, politics, and culture. Chapters focus on our philosophical and scientific understanding of denial, denial of scientific consensus, denialism in political economy, and denialism in religious belief. An afterword examines proposals for improving science communication in light of findings about motivated reasoning and denial.


2001 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satoko Takahashi

Buddhism presumes that all living beings suffer. Even the Buddha is said to have had a little illness and a little suffering (Daichido-ron: Kawada, 1975, p. 33). An ideal health in Buddhism is, therefore, not an absence of illness.The goal of Buddhism is to attain human happiness. The question is not if one has an illness or not but if a person is happy with or without being ill. Nichiren (MW. If. 5, p. 280) wrote to a woman (Myoshin-ama) in the face of her husband’s critical illness. “... illness does not necessarily result in death. Now, this illness of your husband’s may be due to the Buddha’s design, for the Vimalakirti and Nirvana sutras both speak of sick people attaining Buddhahood. From illness arises the mind that seeks the Way.” In chapter fifteen chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the four great bodhisattvas asked the Buddha: “Is the World-Honored One comfortable, with few illnesses, few worries?” The Buddha answered: “Just so, just so, good men! The Thus Come One (Buddha) is well and happy. with few i1Is and few worries.” (Watson, 1993, p. 214)“Health” in Buddhism is the life condition of the Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva is basically healthy both physically and mentally. He wi1l become sick not because of his own weakness in his body or mind but because of the unhappiness of others. Bodhisattvas need training. They put themselves into circumstances where people are suffering, and physical, chemical, biological and psychological stresses are manifest (Kawada, 1983). Ikeda (1998) concludes: “Health means the life condition of the Bodhisattva. People are healthy when they dedicate themselves to others.” Rene Dubos (1959) said: “It is a lazy dream to imagine a life without anxiety and stress. Since human lives are dynamic processes, while the idea of utopia is static, it is useless to try to find a utopia on the earth.... Each human being fights not necessarily for the sake of himself, but for the emotional, intellectual, and ethical development of all human beings. To grow in the middle of danger itself is the law of life which is our destiny.” In other words, Buddhism puts emphasis on spiritual strength with a committed sense of mission or purpose of life through a compassionate action for others.


Author(s):  
Kalpana Gupta ◽  
Pratima Singh

<p><em>Love is the base of the universe; it is the cause of the existence of creatures on the earth. This is one of the basic needs of human beings. Everyone wants peace and love but lust, materialistic desires, bubble fame, wealth, misguided patriotism lead to destruction and chaos in the world. God has given human beings no religion, these are human beings who put label of religion on themselves and call God by different names Allah, Ishwar, Jesus and so on. God is one and all the religion leads us to same path. No religion leads us to destruction, violence and bloodshed. No wars and terror should be launched in the name of religion. Some fanatic Muslims believe in <strong>JIHAD</strong>, according to them Islam is in danger and for the safety and existence of Islam; Muslims should stand up together and fight. This fanaticism should not be sprouted on this earth. Generally an average person's level of consciousness is rather low. He is enslaved to life and lives on false hopes and illusions.</em></p><p><em>He spends his life in ignorance, experiencing joy and sorrow, success and failure, love and grief without ever really coming to the ultimate realization. Under the influence of sensation and passion, people commit errors which they subsequently regret. They delude themselves by looking for peace, happiness and self accomplishment through the pleasure of the senses. Materialism does not give us peace of mind and inner calm. There are so many examples throughout the world of people who have everything they need materially but they are nevertheless unhappy, restless and tormented.</em></p>


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-102
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Kuśnierz

One of the main causes of the ethical ambivalence in the attitude of homo sapiens species towards other living creatures is its utilitarian and anthropocentric mindset which permeates practical decisions and judgments. Socio-ecological conditioning of the human-animal relations to which the former contributed through practices and habits (habitus) largely designating the so called cultural norms (at least in Bourdieu’s conception) have thus far legitimized speciesism as well as disablement and exclusion of animals from  the advantages of technology and veterinary medicine, which in turn would strengthen their position in the face of continual exploitation  in favor of man. Since few decades this state of affairs has been changing; man’s ethical consciousness in respect of the predicament, state of mind and well–being of other living creatures is rising. The encounter of man with different non-human beings who do not know human forms of auto-expression or communication  became possible through the discovery of science – as well as philosophy’s and particularly ethics’ indication – of common properties and socio-cognitive capabilities: including fellow feeling which in case of a human being is followed by consciousness, understanding, interpretation, as well as relevant decisions and actions. This common denominator among species is waiting for further exploration and redefinition in terms of ethics. That is exactly what constitutes the requirement for improvement of the condition of other species in the world exploited by human kind. Many academic disciplines contribute to the unceasing widening of the moral horizon (empathy, fellow feeling, responsibility, solidarity, readiness to care and help)  so that it could embrace over time as many individuals representing species outside homo sapiens as possible. Veterinary medicine and palliative care create conditions that foster the rebuilding of a caring relationship between man and other living creatures, opening at the same time door to recognition and meaningful relations (in Ricoeur’s terms), understanding and love of the universe of life (bios) that man shares with other species.


2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (299) ◽  
pp. 620
Author(s):  
Maria Clara Lucchetti Bingemer

Síntese: Nossa proposta neste texto é fazer uma leitura da obra de Teilhard de Chardin a partir da América Latina e, nela, de uma situação bem concreta: o consumismo, característica da pós-modernidade, que se instalou aqui em nosso continente. Nossa premissa é que a fúria consumista em um continente marcado pela pobreza dissociou ser humano e cosmos, homem, mulher e natureza, criando uma falta de sensibilidade para os sentidos humanos, que chega a ser extremamente nociva ao próprio ser humano: torna-o sempre mais insensível àquilo que está à sua volta, seja a pobreza que padecem tantos, seja a negligência em relação ao Cosmos e à Terra, pondo em risco a vida e o futuro do planeta onde todos vivem. Em seguida, examinaremos a mística bíblica como mística de comunhão com o universo, de sintonia com o criado, incluindo e colocando em comunicação ser humano e mundo, de maneira a que juntos reflitam a face do Criador. Procuraremos, a seguir, ver como Teilhard se inscreve nessa mística de comunhão com o universo de maneira radical e profunda, fazendo com que a mesma passe a constituir o cerne de sua esplêndida espiritualidade. Finalmente, examinaremos alguns textos seletos de Teilhard, a fim de encontrarmos neles a inspiração para a teologia que hoje se faz em nosso continente. Embora Teilhard não tenha sido alguém com grande preocupação pelos pobres e embora estes não ocupem parte importante em seu pensamento e discurso, não se pode ignorar que seu pensamento sobre o cosmos e a natureza são uma contribuição preciosa para toda a reflexão teológica sobre a ecologia, que hoje se realiza no mundo inteiro, inclusive e de maneira forte e insistente, no continente latino-americano.Palavas-chave: Theilhard de Chardin. Espiritualidade. Consumismo. Ecologia. Pobres.Abstract: Our objective in this text is to do a reading of Teilhard de Chardin’s work from a Latin American perspective and, within this perspective, focus on a very concrete situation: consumerism, a characteristic of the post-modernity that settled here in our continent. Our assumption is that the consumerist fury in a continent marked by poverty dissociated the human being and the cosmos, man, woman and nature, creating a lack of sensitivity to the human senses that becomes extremely harmful for the human beings themselves. It makes them more insensitive to whatever is around them, be it the poverty that is the source of suffering for so many, be it the negligence towards the Cosmos and the Earth, a negligence that endangers the life and the future of the planet where we all live. Next, we will examine the Biblical mystique as a mystique of communion with the universe, of being in tune with the creation, including and fostering the communication between the human being and the world, in such a way that, together, they reflect the face of the Creator. We will then try to see how Teilhard inserts himself in this mystique of communion with the universe in a radical and deep way, so that this mystique becomes the core of his splendid spirituality. Finally, we will look at a few selected texts by Teilhard in order to find in them the inspiration for the theology practiced today in our continent. Although Teilhard may not have been someone particularly concerned with the poor and although they are not an important part of his thought and discourse, we cannot ignore that his ideas about the Cosmos and nature are a valuable contribution to the entire theological reflection on ecology that is being carried out worldwide, including, in a very strong and insistent way, in the Latin-American continent.Keyword: Theilhard de Chardin. Spirituality. Consumerism. Ecology. Poor.


2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-342
Author(s):  
Anna Wierzbicka

Are there any concepts that all human beings share? Three hundred years ago Leibniz was convinced that there are indeed such concepts and that they can be identified by trial and error. He called this hypothetical set the alphabet of human thoughts. Gradually, however, the idea faded from philosophical discourse and eventually it was largely forgotten. It was revived in the early 1960s by the Polish linguist Andrzej Bogusławski. A few years later it was taken up in my own work and in 1972 in my book Semantic Primitives a first hypothetical set of universal semantic primitives was actually proposed. It included 14 elements. Following my emigration to Australia more and more linguists joined the testing of the proposed set against an increasing range of languages and domains. As a result, from mid 1980s the set steadily grew. The expansion stopped in 2014, when the number stabilised at 65, and when Cliff Goddard and I reached the conclusion that this is the full set. This paper reviews the developments which have taken place over the last 50 years. It reaffirms our belief that we have identified, in full, the shared alphabet of human thoughts. It also examines the recurring claim that one of these primes, HAVE PARTS, is not universal. Further, the paper argues that there is not only a shared alphabet of human thoughts but a shared mental language, Basic Human, with a specifiable vocabulary and grammar. It points out that the stakes are high, because what is at issue is not only the psychic unity of humankind (Boas 1911) but also the possibility of a universal human community of communication (Apel 1972). The paper contends that Basic Human can provide a secure basis for a non-Anglocentric global discourse about questions that concern us all, such as global ethics, the earth and its future, and the health and well-being of all people on earth.


2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 195-214
Author(s):  
Ahmad Zainul Arifin ◽  
Khairuddin ◽  
Moh Rifa’i

In the millennial era it is very important in describing the lives of interfaith people on the face of the earth. Various social media certainly become a very important tool for each group to convey ideas quoted based on the teachings of their respective religions. The frequent occurrence of trends in values, morals and ethics causes the relationship between religious people to become increasingly span in the field of trust. Various groups from each religion often complained about their achievements in terms of personality and even on political matters so that such a huge impact is vulnerable to minorities in certain regions. This is where the Qur'an plays a very important role as one of the rejects of Muslim thinking. In addition, the Qur'an also plays an important role for all human beings as social beings without exception. Although al-Qu'an himself has stated that to be one does not have to be the same. Different religions, cultures, nationalities or others is not a limiting thing to build a harmony of living together. It's just that, at the present time many thinkers who stand tall are only for their own sake, don't care about what's around them. For this reason, we are writing a study based on events that often occur on the face of the earth. Inserted with some ideas from several figures and an expert in the interpretation of the Qur'an in order for the writer and the reader to understand more deeply what tolerance is or what harmony is religious life


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