A Scientific World-View of Nature and Environmental Problem with a Special Concentration on Seyyed Hossein Nasr’s Understanding of Environmental Sustainability (Perspektif Sains terhadap Krisis Alam dan Persekitaran: Pemikiran Seyyed Hossein Nasr tentan)

Author(s):  
Md. Abu Sayem

The present paper attempts to expose how the scientific world-view of nature contributes to the present environmental crisis. Alongside this, it relates European Renaissance, humanism, secularism, the scientific and industrial revolutions, modern philosophy, scientism, technology-based modern life, consumerism-based modern society, etc. with current environmental problems. By focusing on Nasr’s traditional understanding of nature, the paper explores how materialistic and mechanistic world-views are deeply connected with the present ecological crisis. It also offers a critical analysis of Nasr’s spiritual and religious world-view of nature and examines its relevance. In doing so, it aims to highlight some demerits of the present world-view, and to call to reform current perceptions of nature by revitalizing traditional wisdom in order to protect the environment from further degradation. Thus, the paper is scholarly addition to the ongoing discourse on the issue of religions and the environment. Keywords: Eco-theology, Environmental Degradation, Materialistic and Mechanistic Views of Nature, Scientism, Spiritual Crisis of Modern humans, Religious and Spiritual World-Views.   Abstrak Kertas kajian ini menerangkan bagaimana pandangan saintifik telah menyumbang kepada krisis alam sekitar semasa. Disamping itu, kertas ini akan menhubungkaitkan Gerakan Revolusi Humanisma di Eropah, sekularisme, revolusi  sains dan perindustrian, falsafah moden, saintisme, kehidupan moden yang berasaskan teknologi, masyarakat moden yang berasaskan consumerisme, etc. dengan krisis alam sekitar yang berlaku dewasa ini.  Dengan memahami pandangan Nasr terhadap alam sekitar, kertas ini akan merungkai bagaimana pandangan materialistik (kebendaan) dan mekanistik mempengaruhi krisis ekologi masa kini. Ia juga akan menganalisa pandangan spiritual dan agama Nasr terhadap alam sekitar secara kritikal dan akan menilai sejauh mana kesesuaiannya. Dengan sedemikian dapat menyedarkan manusia tentang kecacatan pandangan semasa, yang kemudiannya akan membawa kepada pembaharuan persepsi mereka terhadap alam sekitar dengan cara menghidupkan semula nilai-nilai tradisional demi mengelakkan kemerosotan alam sekitar. Kertas ini akan memuatkan idea-idea para cendiakawan dalam membincangkan isu  berkaitan agama dan alam sekitar. Kata Kunci: Eko-Teologi, Kemerosotan Alam Sekitar, Pandangan Materialistik dan Makanistik terhadap Alam, Saintisme, Krisis Spiritual Manusia Moden, Perspektif Spiritual dan Agama.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7368
Author(s):  
Ngoc-Bao Pham ◽  
Thu-Nga Do ◽  
Van-Quang Tran ◽  
Anh-Duc Trinh ◽  
Chen Liu ◽  
...  

Food waste has become a critical issue in modern society, especially in the urbanized and fast-growing cities of Asia. The increase in food waste has serious negative impacts on environmental sustainability, water and land resources, and food security, as well as climate and greenhouse gas emissions. Through a specific case study in Da Nang City, Vietnam, this paper examines the extent of food waste generation at the consumption stages, the eating habits of consumers, food waste from households and service establishments, as well as prospects for the reuse of food waste as pig feed. The results of this study indicate that per capita food waste generation in Da Nang has increased from 0.39 to 0.41kg in 2016, 0.46 in 2017, and reached 0.52kg in 2018. According to the results of our consumer survey, 20% of respondents stated that they often generate food waste, 67% stated they sometimes do, and 13% stated they rarely do. Furthermore, 66% of surveyed households stated that their food waste is collected and transported by pig farmers to be used as feed for pigs. The use of food waste as feed for pigs is a typical feature in Da Nang. The study also found that there is a high level of consumer awareness and willingness to participate in the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, recycle) program, which was being initiated by the city government. In service facilities such as resorts and hotels, daily food waste reached 100–200 kg in large facilities and 20–120 kg in small facilities. This waste was also collected for use in pig farming. However, there has been a fall in demand for pig feed in line with a decrease in the number of pig farms due to the African swine fever epidemic that occurred during the implementation of this study. This paper suggests that there is a strong need to take both consumer-oriented waste prevention and waste management measures, such as waste segregation at source and introduction of effective food waste recycling techniques, to ensure that food waste can be safely and sustainably used as a “valuable resource” rather than “wasted.”


2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 239-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Afzaal

“The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis” by Lynn White Jr. poses specific challenges to Islamic metaphysics and theology that have yet to be adequately addressed by Muslim scholars. I argue that the transition from a panentheistic view of God to an increasingly supernaturalist one is indicative of a larger shift in worldview that White had failed to emphasize. Reading White’s essay in light of Weber and Iqbal, I argue that a worldview dominated by rational thought is consistent with supernatural theism. The challenges posed by White’s essay can be met through Iqbal’s postmodern reconstruction of Islamic theology in panentheistic terms.


1982 ◽  
Vol 72 (6B) ◽  
pp. S19-S28
Author(s):  
Ralph H. Turner

abstract A 3-yr content analysis of all items dealing with earthquakes in six major Los Angeles newspapers and a review of television and radio treatment of earthquake topics in the same period, coupled with periodic surveys of popular understanding and attitudes toward the earthquake threat following announcement of the southern California uplift (Palmdale Bulge), lead to the identification of four media problems that contributed to the often erratic treatment of earthquake threat. First is the problem of newsworthiness, determining when and how to feature discussions of the continuing earthquake threat in the absence of either dramatic events or mobilized public controversy. Second is the problem of finding sources to provide a steady flow of material for use in preparing news items, in the absence of well-organized interest groups, especially those concerned with individual, household, and neighborhood earthquake preparedness. Third is the dilemma of how to balance the needs for alarm and reassurance, shocking people out of lethargy into action on the one hand versus trying to minimize unproductive anxiety and community disruption on the other hand. The fourth problem is communicating science when nonscientific world views are prevalent and merged to the point of confusion with scientific world views in popular thinking.


1992 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ullica Segerstråle

This article examines the recent political-cumepistemological criticism of reductionism in fields such as sociobiology, behavioral ecology, behavioral genetics, and IQ research. It identifies and challenges some unexamined assumptions underlying current “anti-reductionist” reasoning, especially the belief that there are inherent links between political motivations and scientific convictions, between “bad” science and undesirable political consequences, and between methodological and ontological reductionism. The author analyzes the conflict in scientific world views between anti-reductionist “weeders” and reductionist “planters.” Paradoxically, in their criticism of research strategies routinely used by alleged reductionists, anti-reductionists often sound like arch-reductionists themselves. The author argues that the various linked beliefs in anti-reductionist reasoning should be uncoupled, not only for intellectual, but also for political reasons.


Sociologija ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-437
Author(s):  
Matija Jovanovic

This paper discusses two neomarxist theories of ecological crises - theory of metabolic rift and the second contradiction of capitalism theory. The goal of the paper is to present two critical theories and to confront them so similarities, differences, flaws and contributions of those theories can be identified. In the first part of the paper author classifies different approaches to ecological crisis and sustainable development in order to relate two neomarxist theories to other approaches to the topic. In the second part, author discusses theory of metabolic rift, which is a heuristic analysis of Marx?s original work. In other words, this theory represents a new reading of the classic and tries to integrate it?s new findings about envirnmental side of Marx?s thought into a contemporary marxist theory. Third part of the paper is reserved for the second contradiction of capitalism, a neomarxist theory of economic crisis which can be applied as a theory of ecological crisis. Two theories are then confronted after which similarities and differences between them are pointed out. The author concludes the paper by stressing out the flaws and scientific contributions of the two theories.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 1853-1858
Author(s):  
Lesko Natalia Vladimirovna Et al.

The features of the Internet as a leading institution of information law in the XXI century have been studied in the article. It has been determined that a characteristic feature of the Internet is that geographical boundaries do not play any role here. The Internet space is an electronic information space of communications for which there are no borders. That is why it is difficult to ensure effective legal regulation of the Internet, as there is no systematic legislation regulating the relevant types of relations on the World Wide Web, besides, there are objective features of the Internet functioning. It has been stated that an important point of solving the problems of using the Internet is the adoption of the Laws: "On the protection of freedom on the Internet", "On e-democracy", "On distance learning on the Internet". It has been noted that in modern society, the Internet has made it possible to influence greatly the life of every person. As a result of globalization processes, the World Wide Web performs the function of forming a person's world-view. Unfortunately, standards that do not conform to the ideas of humanism are often promoted on the Internet. New forms of communication on the Internet have led to the separation of the culture function of this means of mass communication, as a result of which a specific information culture is being formed. Thus, an important factor in building a global information society is the formation of the individual new information culture on the Internet network.


2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-163
Author(s):  
V. І. Nikolaichuk ◽  
M. М. Vakerich ◽  
M. V. Bilkey ◽  
O. P. Chechuy ◽  
I. Voloshchuk

Ukraine has transformed into one of the most environmentally dangerous countries in the world due to the high concentration of industrial production and agriculture and predatory use of natural resources. The current ecological situation in Ukraine is characterized by a deep ecological crisis, which is caused by the laws of operation of the command economy of the former USSR. The majority of the environmental and social indicators of Ukraine are among the worst in Europe. The Carpathian Mountains are among the most significant and interesting landscapes in Europe from the geological and geomorphological, scenic and biological perspectives. The giant arc of the Carpathians begins in southern Romania and passes through Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary to Austria, crosses all Eastern and Central Europe. A third of the forest reserves of Ukraine are located in the Ukrainian Carpathians, at 53.5% the percentage of forest cover of the area is among the highest in the country. About 50% of the gene pool of Ukraine’s plants, many species of trees and medicinal plants grows there. The geographical location and large area of the rich natural heritage of the Carpathians have multifaceted importance for the conservation of biological, phytocoenotic and landscape diversity and maintaining the ecological balance in the central part of our continent. As with the Alps mountain range, this is an important ecological corridor between Western, Central and Eastern Europe, which promotes the migration of species and their spread into lowland landscapes. In order to preserve biodiversity an inventory of virgin forest ecosystems should be made and strict measures for their protection should be enforced. It is necessary to continue the practice of establishing bilateral areas in cross-border protected areas in order to combine efforts to solve pressing environmental challenges. Conservation of the Carpathians Biodiversity is an urgent problem. Structural changes in the economy of the region are expected to strengthen the recreational value of the Ukrainian Carpathians for the public not only in our country but also in Central and Eastern Europe, reducing the technogenic loading. International cooperation of all countries of the Carpathian region is imperative. The development of tourism in the Carpathians is highly promising, but this should be civilized tourism, taking into account the environmental sustainability of the recreational areas and protected areas. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 210 ◽  
pp. 18030
Author(s):  
Olga Nikolenko ◽  
Larisa Babakova ◽  
Boris Morenko

The article describes the methodology of conducting training sessions in the discussion-provocation form as one of the methods of improving speech and thinking skills while teaching Russian as a foreign language in the classroom at an advanced training level and proves its effectiveness in mastering communication skills. It is shown that conducting training sessions in the discussion-provocation form helps to develop speech production skills among foreign students, to unleash creativity and logical thinking, making them to pass and process the information of the suggested basic text through “I-position” the prism. It enriches foreign students with elements of personally marked evaluation, thereby realizing the cognitive, communicative and educational tasks of the learning process. The advantages of authentic texts as an initial base for the speech skills development are described, as far as they reflect the real needs and emotional students’ mood through their approach to the surrounding reality and the interests of a particular individual, orient his thoughts to a given attitude. Discussion-provocation, being a non-standard form of classes helps to form an abstract and scientific world view among foreign students.


Author(s):  
N. Rogozhina

This article deals with the role of developing countries in strengthening the global ecological security, because the focus of environmental crisis has been shifting towards them. Taking into consideration the dynamics of their socio-economic and demographic changes, these countries will determine environmental situation in the world. Ecological crisis in developing countries is subjected to the industrial society formation that is accompanied by heavy demand on natural resources and pollution of environment. The author concludes that inevitable environmental costs of extensive economic growth are multiplied by continuing population growth and poverty increase. Today the developing countries are in extremely hard situation: they won’t overcome economic gap which is the main cause of ecological disruption without accelerating the development. But at the same time, the uncontrolled increase of economic production results in intensification of environmental crisis. It determines the urgent need to shift from the traditional model of industrial development relying on the postulate "growth first clean up later" to the model of "green" development. This economic concept is defined as eco-industrial revolution. In order to carry this task these states have to include the elements of post-industrial "green" development into the model of the industrial type development catch up. In its practical realization this model may cause further differentiation of developing countries and inequality on the global level. The emerging economics of the Asia Pacific region possess enough technological, financial resources and political will to join the "green world". But scarcely the poor countries of Africa or South Asia will demonstrate the same high interest in providing secure ecological development. Sustainable economics will probably facilitate entering the "green world".


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