Of all the misjudgements that have emerged from religion and philosophy down the centuries, one of the most harmful has been the view of the Earth that came out of the formidable Judaeo-Christian moral tradition: that our planet has been put here for our use.
The idea that we may do as we please with the natural world, rather than respecting it as in other conventions such as the Buddhist or the Daoist, was formally enshrined in holy writ, most notably in the celebrated verse of Genesis 1: 28, And God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: ...
There are approximately 922 more words in this article.
To read the rest of this article, please buy this issue, or join the Resurgence Trust. As a member you will receive access to the complete archive of magazines from May 1966.
If you are already a member, please Sign in
