Description
Book SynopsisAs ecological degradation continues to threaten permanent and dramatic changes for life on our planet, the question of how we can protect our imperiled Earth has become more pressing than ever before. In this book, Daniel Scheid draws on Catholic social thought as the foundation for a new type of interreligious ecological ethics, which he calls the cosmic common good, that sees humans as just a part of the greater whole of the cosmos. The cosmic common good emphasizes the instrumental and intrinsic value of nature and the integral connection between religious practice and the pursuit of the common good.Scheid begins his analysis by rooting his vision of the cosmic common good in the classical doctrines of creation found in the works of Augustine and Thomas Aquinas and in Thomas Berry''s interpretation of the evolutionary cosmic story. He goes on to explore conceptions of a cosmic common good in other traditions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and American Indian religion. Scheid demonstra
Trade ReviewThe Cosmic Common Good will be a fine addition to academic libraries and highly appropriate for use in undergraduate courses on ethics, ecological studies, world religions, and comparative religions. The mix of primary and secondary sources Scheid engages competently provide excellent beginnings for scholarly research. Also helpful for advancing research are his informative endnotes, extensive bibliography, and index. * Jame Schaefer, Journal of Religion *
This volume will be a valuable addition to the undergarduate, graduate, and seminary courses in ecological ethics, potentially opening the way towards more robust interreligious converstion about ecological concerns and providing the necessary methodological tools. * Margaret R. Pfeil, Journal of Catholic Social Thought *
Scheid creates an innovative amalgam of ancient and modem theological insights and is to be lauded for attempting to overcome some of the inherent difficulties of hammering out a common interreligious ecological ethic by proposing a theoretical framework for a worldview that is centered on the cosmic common good. This kind of unity is precisely what the world needs if humanity is going to overcome the ecological crisis that threatens its existence. * Jeremiah Vallery, Religious Studies Review *
Given the suffering caused by ecological degradation to humans and other creatures alike, theology is tasked in our day to bring the natural world back into view as a subject of religious and moral importance. In this broadly researched and clearly written book, Scheid sets out to do just that with one keystone element of Catholic social teaching: the common good. Not only does he rethink features of this principle, expanding it in an ecological direction, but he places this principle in dialogue with Hindu, Buddhist, and American Indian traditions. The point of arrival is an interreligious vision of the cosmic common good which can serve as a basis for ethical action to protect the planet, or 'to care for God's creation' in Catholic language... Toward that end this book makes a superb contribution. * Elizabeth A. Johnson, Theological Studies *
Table of ContentsPreface ; Acknowledgements ; Chapter One: The Cosmic Common Good as a Ground for Interreligious Ecological Ethics ; Part I: A Catholic Cosmic Common Good ; Chapter Two: A Catholic Cosmic Common Good: Overview and Prospects ; Chapter Three: Classical Sources for a Catholic Cosmic Common Good: Augustine and Thomas Aquinas ; Chapter Four: Thomas Berry and an Evolutionary Catholic Cosmic Common Good ; Chapter Five: Earth Solidarity ; Chapter Six: Earth Rights ; Part II: The Cosmic Common Good and Interreligious Ecological Ethics ; Chapter Seven: Comparative Theology and Ecological Ethics ; Chapter Eight: Hindu Traditions: Dharmic Ecology ; Chapter Nine: Buddhist Traditions: Interdependence ; Chapter Ten: American Indian Traditions: Balance with All Our Relations ; Conclusion: An Interreligious Cosmic Common Good ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
