Wednesday, June 05, 2019
Monotheistic science, religion and the ecological crisis
With the rise of monotheistic religions, we began to think of the world as operating in accordance with laws as opposed to the whims of various deities. In this is makes sense of what science discovers about the world. But science enables technology, and technology permits humans to exercise control over the natural world in a way they never could before. But that power of technology brings with it the temptation, never so much as experienced by ancient peoples, to exploit the earth's resources in ways that harm the ecosystem, make life more difficult for many living creatures, and make the world potentially unlivable for future generations. You could, I suppose, say that monotheistic religion helped cause the ecological crisis for the same reason you might say that science caused the ecological crisis. But if you can condemn religion for this reason, you also have to condemn science for the same reason.
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"With the rise of monotheistic religions, we began to think of the world as operating in accordance with laws as opposed to the whims of various deities"
According to the Abrahamic religions each of us is composed of, most importantly, an immortal soul, the disposition of which is at the whim of a single deity.
So, in the Judaeo/Christian/Islamic view the world operates at the whim of a single deity.
How is the whim of a single deity somehow superior to the collective whims of multiple deities?
"You could, I suppose, say that monotheistic religion helped cause the ecological crisis for the same reason you might say that science caused the ecological crisis."
What ecological crisis?
Life is flourishing on this planet and there nothing going on right now that is ceasing that flourishing.
Ok, I suppose one might cite some number of species going extinct. Almost all species that have ever existed are now extinct. Other species move in when certain species are not able to adapt.
The most adaptable large land species that has ever existed on this planet is ours. Yes, we are pushing some other species out, that isn't a crisis, that is just how nature works.
With the rise of monotheistic religions, we began to think of the world as operating in accordance with laws as opposed to the whims of various deities.
We had the beginnings of exploring the laws of the world in several cultures long before monotheism became a part of them.
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