In this book David E. Cooper explores our relationship to nature – to animals, to plants, to natural places – and asks how it can be shaped into an appropriate one which contributes to the good of people’s lives as a whole. Religions and philosophies have much to say about our relationship with nature, and Chinese Daoist philosophy has long been regarded as among those most sympathetic to the natural world. Daoists seek an attunement to the Dao (the Way) which is characterized by a sense of flow (water being a favourite metaphor), spontaneity, non-interference, humility and patience – virtues which contrast with the aggressive and exploitative values which characterize a modern world increasingly subject to economic imperatives.
Like the best of contemporary nature writing, the classic Daoist texts reveal a yearning for convergence with nature, nostalgia for a lost intimacy with the natural world, disillusion with humanity or its products, and a feeling for nature’s mystery. The author explains how these attitudes are rooted in Daoist philosophy and explores their implications for our practical engagement with natural environments. He discusses, too, a number of ethical issues – including hunting, intensive farming, and environmental activism – that reflective people need to address in their efforts to heal our relationship with the Earth.
Les mer
David E. Cooper explores our relationship to nature and asks how it can be shaped into an appropriate one which contributes to the good of people’s lives as a whole.
The author explains how a yearning for convergence with nature is rooted in Daoist philosophy and explores the implications for our practical engagement with natural environments.
Les mer
1 Orientation
Nature writing
Some modern moods
Philosophy’s roles
2 Why Daoism?
Nature and people in Chinese art
In a Daoist key
Daoist moods
3 Religion, technology, estrangement
Theology and ‘the ecological crisis’
A philosopher’s hut
Daoism, technology and estrangement
‘Letting-be’
4 Estrangement, environmentalism and ‘otherness’
Rhetoric and reality
Nature’s ‘otherness’
5 Nature in Daoism
‘Nature’: some connected senses
Nature as educator
Nature and virtue
6 On the Way (1): dao, world and unity
Dao, God, nature and nothing
Dao, experience and world
Self, world and the unity of things
7 On the Way (2): de, virtues and sages
De and the myriad things
‘Profound de’ and human virtues
The Daoist sage
8 Mindfulness of nature
Mindfulness, disinterestedness and impartiality
Mirroring nature and ‘dirty glass’
Science and reverie
9 Nature, feeling and appreciation
Sober joy
Opposing moods
Enjoying natural beauty
10 Engaging with nature
Activity, engagement, intervention
Being outdoors
Engagement, environment and convergence
‘The Daoist body’
11 Wilderness, wildness, wildlife
The wild
Wildlife and hunting
Guns, cameras, companions
12 Intervening in nature
Industry and technology
Agriculture
The Daoist garden
13 Intervening for nature?
Activism and virtue
Environmentalism and wu wei
Daoism and quietism
Notes
Reading
Les mer
Convergence with Nature explores our relationship to nature – to animals, to plants, to natural places – and asks how it can be shaped into an appropriate one that contributes to the good of our lives as a whole. Religions and philosophies have much to say on this subject, and Chinese Daoist philosophy is considered to be one of the most sympathetic to the natural world. Daoists seek an attunement to the dao (the Way), which is characterised by a sense of flow, spontaneity, non-interference and humility – virtues that contrast with the aggressive values of a modern world driven by economic imperatives.
Like much contemporary nature writing, the classic Daoist texts reveal a yearning for convergence with nature, nostalgia for a lost intimacy with the natural world, disillusion with humanity or its products, and a feeling for nature’s mystery. The author explains how these attitudes are rooted in Daoist philosophy and explores their implications for us today. He discusses a number of pertinent issues, such as what role science should play in our relationship with nature, whether hunting animals is consistent with an appropriate relationship to them, and whether a harmonious relationship with nature demands an active commitment to saving the environment.
Les mer
“Without over-burdening his text with quotations or references, and by writing in the first person, Cooper provides a succinct and readable guide through some of the meanings and implications of what he prefers to call Daodeism.”
Les mer
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780857840233
Publisert
2012-02-23
Utgiver
Vendor
Green Books
Høyde
216 mm
Bredde
138 mm
Aldersnivå
G, 01
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
168
Forfatter
Biographical note
David E. Cooper was Professor of Philosophy at Durham University for many years and has been a visiting professor at universities in the United States, Canada, Malta, Sri Lanka and South Africa. His philosophical interests range from environmental ethics to aesthetics, from the philosophy of language to Asian thought, from the history of philosophy to the philosophy of religion. His many books include Existentialism: A Reconstruction, World Philosophies: An Historical Introduction, The Measure of Things: Humanism, Humility and Mystery and A Philosophy of Gardens.