So I am currently taking an environmental philosophy course and I recently read an article by the late American historian Lynn White Jr. titled, “The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis.” I found this article to be extremely fascinating as I had never stopped to consider what role religion has had on society’s view of the environment. Just a warning to any Christians reading this, you might get triggered!
White begins his article by explaining how the fusion of science and technology has allowed for humans to significantly have a greater impact on the environment. He then acknowledges that “both modern technology and modern science are distinctively Occidental.” By the term ‘Occidental’ he means that science and technology that dominates the world came about for the most part from Western Europe and North America. To make a point about how strong the technology of the West was, White points out that even Portugal, a relatively weak country compared to its neighbors, by the end of the 15th century was able to colonize large areas in the West Indies. White then transitions to examining what the view of nature was in the Middle Ages when technology and science began to take over the world.
During this time, White argues that man transitioned from being “part of nature” to being “the exploiter of nature” and essentially blames Christianity as a big reason for it calling it the “most anthropocentric religion the world has seen.” Anthropocentric is a fancy term to describe the belief that humans are at the center of reality. When it comes to moral concerns, humans are the only beings that matter to an anthropocentric person. Nonanthropocentrists, on the contrary, believe that nonhumans deserve some moral consideration. So if you are a vegan because you think it is morally wrong to kill animals, then you would be considered a nonanthropocentric person. White argues that Christianity’s anthropocentrism stems from Genesis 1:20-31 of which a section follows:
God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
Prior to Christianity, pagans were more mindful of nature before destroying it. It was often believed that many spirits occupied natural life, so before cutting a tree, a pagan would do their best to honor that spirit. There was more respect for nature. However, Christianity made it possible to exploit nature without feeling bad about it.
I am by no means a Christianity or bible expert, so I feel inadequate to elaborate about Lynn’s article, but it makes sense to me when you look at colonialism. It is pretty evident that colonizers viewed indigenous people in America and enslaved Africans as beneath human, as animals. So with Christianity at their disposal, one could argue that Western colonizers used it to justify dominating these people and their lands because they are a part of nature. In defense of Christianity, one could argue that it was not Christianity to blame but rather a misinterpretation on the part of Western Europeans, you know, the whole it’s not the gun but the shooter perspective. I personally would blame both.
Regardless of your religious views, I encourage you to take the time to reflect on your attitude towards nature and the environment. In a world as chaotic as ours, it can be very easy to ignore the interests of life outside of the human realm. Being more mindful of your surroundings and your effect on them is generally a healthy thing, so why not extend that mindfulness to nature?
Cosmic Latte 