Abstract
This paper discusses John B. Cobb’s interpretation of Christian ecological moral foundation based on his “process theological” understanding as well as his critics to traditional Christian view of human supremacy over non-human creatures. It aims to explore Cobb’s eco-theological understanding based on bio-centric environmental approach and explore why his eco-theological thought becomes significant for the ongoing discourses on environmental ethics, especially from religious perspectives. This research also describes how Cobb’s idea could be working for sustainability of environment. In so doing, this paper enriches the current discussions on environmental ethics from Christian eco-theological perspective.
Highlights
Saderis connects the evolutionary theory of Darwin in order to strong human-nature relationship by arguing that environmental ethics comes from a fundamental interdependence of all life.[2]
All abiotic and biotic organisms in the natural world have their own value, i.e. their intrinsic value without the consideration of human beings. In this way, rejecting traditional anthropocentric approach (1991: 13) Cobb talks about a participatory view of nature, which has more relationship with biocentric views of environmental ethics, though it is not exactly the bio-centric approach in the truest sense of the term
“Cobb’s approach is a dramatic departure from traditional Christian theism, and has much in common with the holistic, mystical and eco-centric deep ecologies.”[97]. Cobb has not confined his discussion only in interpreting the biblical verses correlating with physical environment of traditional understanding rather integrated it with the modern knowledge of biological sciences
Summary
Though Jenkins appreciates Cobb’s criticism of modern economic theories and activities, he fails to grasp Cobb’s biospheric vision in a holistic approach Both Saderis and Jenkins address the present environmental issues in connection with religious moral and environmental ethics by focusing on comprehensive naturalized-ethics and theocentric/prophetic pragmatism. Both scholars have enriched the present discussions on eco-theological ethics from their own understandings, they cannot expose the present environmental issues by reinterpreting religious moral foundations as Cobb has done To some points, they misunderstood Cobb’s ecological model of life and development because of their insufficient consultancy of Cobb’s ideas. This paper attempts to describe Cobb’s Christian eco-theological understanding and look at this idea from the biocentric approach to the environmental ethics
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