Praying for Rain?: A Rastafari Perspective from Zimbabwe

Climate change remains one of the most enigmatic questions that humanity urgently needs to address. Emanating from the ecological crisis, climate change threatens the survival of some species (including humanity) and the depletion of natural resources. The situation is deplorable, but arguably religion/spirituality can contribute to meeting the challenge. This study explores a Zimbabwean Rastafari perspective on praying for rain against the backdrop of climate change. The article posits that praying for rain is integral to Rastafari “livity” and liturgical life. Among other pertinent questions, the study asks: What is the value Rastafarians accord to nature? How do Rastafarians pray for rain? Do they take responsibility for the environment? The research concludes that Rastafarians operate as post–20th‐century Nazarenes, where prayer is a practical and tangible manifestation of work that is crucial to living harmoniously with nature. Rastafari “green philosophy” is a practical spiritual consciousness that decisively complements global efforts of shared responsibility for nature in the context of the climate change crisis.     

RETHINKING THE IMAGE OF GOD

Abstract The present ecological crisis imposes a rethinking of the relation between the human being and the rest of nature. Traditional theological articulations of this relation have proven problematic where they foster separatism and anthropocentrism, which give a false report on the relation and have a negative impact on thinking and acting in relation to nature. One place to begin rethinking is through an exploration of the affirmation that the human being is “made in the image of God,”imago dei. Some ways of construing the theological meaning of this designation are more helpful than others. Science has recognized the extent to which the human being is not only dependent upon but even emergent from nature. We are made of the same “stuff” that makes up the rest of the universe. We are nature. The place of the human being is much more modest, recent, and precarious than usually acknowledged in theological reflection. New ways of interpreting our role within nature must evolve out of this new understanding. Philip Hefner has proposed that we think of the human being as created co‐creator. His is a distinctive and promising contribution. This essay responds with both affirmations and friendly questions.     

当代生态危机的认识论根源及出路

对自然的数学化必然导致人类对自然的对象化思维,从而把自然当作可以加以征服和驾驭的对象物;近代以来科学技术的成功运用更是助长了人类对自然的狂妄,误认为以人类有限的智慧能认识自然的无限奥秘。这是造成当代全球性生态危机的认识论根源。因此,为了走出当代生态危机,人类必须深刻认识到自己认识的有限性,找回“有学识的无知”,从而对无限的终极实在保持应有的敬畏之感。     

论生态学的马克思主义的人道主义

生态学的马克思主义基于对人类命运的关照,立足人道主义,反对以单纯保护生态为目的的生态中心主义和企图转嫁生态矛盾的生态帝国主义;认为资本主义的生产、分配和消费方式是引发生态危机的根源;要想摆脱已经上升为人和自然之主要矛盾的生态危机,不仅需要建立“无增长的”经济模式,倡导“劳动闲暇一元论”和日常生活的“简朴主义”,根除虚假需求,克服异化消费,使生产过程分散化、民主化和管理科学化,变控制自然为解放自然,提倡技术为全人类服务,使生态学充满人道主义,而且需要根除资本主义生产的利润动机,杜绝独裁主义的政治和生产逻辑,反对技术法西斯主义,最终废除资本主义制度,建立非极权的、更易于生存的、以实现生态与社会和谐发展为目标的“稳态社会主义”。     

从对立走向统一——生态伦理学发展趋势研究

在生态伦理学研究中,人类中心主义和非人类中心主义围绕自然存在物有无道德地位等问题展开了激烈争论。这种争论的不可调和性及其观点的不可公度性,意味着生态伦理学自身发生了严重的形而上学危机。如何摆脱这一危机,使生态伦理学研究向纵深发展,成为摆在人们面前的一项重要任务。黑格尔关于人的自由意志是一个否定之否定过程的观点为走出这种争论提供了理论依据,马克思关于人与自然界完成本质统一的思想亦为消解这种对立奠定了理论基础。     

The Problem of a Transcendent God for the Well‐Being of Continuous Creation

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Lynn White's critique of Christianity, which set off the field of eco‐theology. At that time, apologetic theologians responded to the White critique, that the Genesis “dominion” command is largely responsible for the contemporary ecological crisis, through reformulating Christian doctrines to address ecological issues. These pioneers have brought us a long way in terms of addressing both how Christianity has been responsible in supporting harmful human‐earth relations and what resources within the tradition might be useful for addressing the contemporary ecological crisis. Building on this work, this article suggests that Christian theology (whether eco or not) will continue to support an understanding of the human being as rooted “outside of creation” as long as the concept of a transcendent, Omni, Creator‐God is left intact. In place of this theological discourse of transcendence which secularizes the natural realm, I suggest a “radical materialist” (Val Plumwood) understanding of Christianity that moves between idealism and reductive materialism (both are forms of transcendence) through a “planetary” (Spivak) understanding of Creation and a “bio‐historical” (Gordon Kaufman) understanding of anthropology.     

什么是“自然”?

对于多数中国人来说,自然概念可能是最没有问题的概念,有些人甚至都不会想到它是一个重要的哲学概念。即便对于从事哲学研究的人来说,很多人可能也把自然理解为物理世界或自然科学研究的对象的总称。人们未必会把前苏联的官方哲学看在眼里,但对自然的理解恐怕与     

Divine Immanence: Nicholas of Cusa's Understanding of Theophany and the Retrieval of a 'New' Model of God

The global ecological crisis has spawned intensive reflectionabout views of the natural world. Western Christian thoughthas received special scrutiny as modern alienation from naturehas been traced to Christian theology. Undiscovered within themystical theology of Nicholas of Cusa lies an ecologically promisingvision of nature. The concept of divine immanence presentedby this medieval thinker provides a rich spirituality that isinclusive, rather than exclusive, of the natural world. It isalso far more intimate than contemporary stewardship theology.Cusanus interprets theophany as divine self-expression. A seriesof striking metaphors, including God's enfolding and unfolding,God as ‘Not-other’, and Christ as the contractedmaximum, reveals a holistic spirituality. Nicholas of Cusa'sconcept of divine immanence infuses the world with immeasurablevalue and gives rise to a Christian theology that can addressthe current ecological crisis.     

孔子与泰德·本顿的生态观之比较

20世纪后半期,人类面临的最突出的问题就是全球性的生态危机和环境问题。摆脱人类生存的困境,走向具有生态持续性的文明社会是中国现代化实践面临的严峻挑战。本文试将孔子和泰德·本顿的生态观加以比较,求同存异,发掘其中蕴含的积极因素。两者在对自然的解读上,强调自然的客观实在性,重视自然的内在价值和对自然规律的遵循;在人与自然的关系上,阐发人与自然的息息相关性和密不可分性,强调二者相互作用。相互影响;在对自然资源的利用上,强调合理地支配和有限地利用自然,承认自然的极限。这些思想为我国生态文明建设提供了有益的借鉴。     

On Empty Compliments and Deceptive Detours A Neopragmatist Response to Theodore W. Nunez

The philosophical question Nunez raises is whether we can have, as he thinks we need, a theoretical grounding for appeal to the intrinsic value of nature. This article examines the neopragmatist reasons for repudiating metaphysical realism's notions of intrinsicality and subject-independent reality. Following the holism of Donald Davidson and Richard Rorty rather than the epistemological premises of Holmes Rolston and Bernard Lonergan, the author concludes that coping with the ecological crisis does not require conjuring an epistemic crisis. Environmental ethics in neopragmatist hands would seek procedures for bringing about agreement in improving our practices, not our epistemology.     

Myths of Emancipation,Narratives of Redemption An educational reflection on the epistemological roots of the contemporary ecological crisis In the west

This paper does not deal directly with the explicit literature that seeks to engage with the contemporary ecological crisis in its religious and theological dimensions‐ ¹ 1 Boff (1995), Deane‐Drummond (1996), Gustafson (1995), Pannenberg (1993), Ruether (1996), Spurway (1993). View all notes Its concern is rather with the educational, hermeneutical and epistemological structures within which the crisis is analysed, and through which responses are formulated. Specifically, attention is focused on the occidental meta‐narratives of scientific naturalism, romanticism and post‐modernity. It is suggested that these meta‐narratives have played a significant role in creating and sustaining a distorted relationship between humanity and nature. Further, so long as they remain implied and unacknowledged, they constitute the fundamental power structures that set the boundaries beyond which legitimate debate may not range. As a result they limit the scope of responses to the crisis of ecology by artificially eclipsing the perspectives of alternative theological, religious and spiritual narratives. This in turn severely restricts the range of linguistic resources available in the search to recover an authentic relationship with ‐ and existence within ‐ the natural order.

     

生态危机与神学思考的转向

西方基督教神学对生态危机的反思,始于回应来自基督教神学外部的批判,这些批判针对的是支撑现代科技发展背后的基督教理念。与此相应,基督教神学一方面立足于圣经和教义为基督教传统辩护,另一方面以JohnCobb为代表的神学家也在谋求,在新的人与自然关系的背景下改变基督教神学的传统、思考神学未来的发展走向以及如何回应当今日益严重的生态问题。     

Psychological Crisis in a Marathon and the Buffering Effects of Self‐Verbalizations1

In the present study, we investigated the effects of psychological crises on goal striving and the buffering effects of self‐verbalizations in the context of a marathon race. Study 1 showed that during a marathon, a psychological crisis—which is characterized by a strong impulse of goal disengagement and thoughts about benefits and costs—occurred at about Kilometer 30 and that this crisis had negative effects on race performance. Study 2 experimentally induced the use of self‐verbalizations. The results confirmed the hypothesis that self‐verbalizations are an effective strategy to buffer against negative effects of psychological crisis on race performance. Self‐verbalizations are discussed as a general self‐regulatory tool in goal striving.     

Behold the lilies: Martin Buber and the contemplation of nature1

Christians attuned to ecological and eco‐justice issues typically welcome the thought that they are called by God to protect and to serve nature, as well as to respond to the needs of the poor and the oppressed. Drawing on Martin Buber's I‐Thou and I‐It conceptuality and highlighting Jesus’ command about the lilies of the field, this article argues that Christians also are called to enter into an I‐Ens relationship with nature, that is, to behold or to contemplate, as well as to protect and to serve nature, as they continue to address ecojustice issues.     

An Environment Friendly God: Response to Nancy Hudson’s “Divine Immanence”

This paper is a response to Professor Nancy Hudson’s paper “Divine Immanence: Nicholas of Cusa’s Understanding of Theophany and the Retrieval of a ‘New’ Model of God,” (Nancy Hudson, “Divine Immanence: Nicholas of Cusa’s Understanding of Theophany and the Retrieval of a ‘New’ Model of God,” Journal of Theological Studies 56.2 (October 2005): 450–470). The global ecological crisis has spawned intensive reflection about living in right relationship with the earth. Western Christian thought has received special scrutiny since modern alienation from nature has been traced to Christian theology. Undiscovered within the mystical theology of Nicholas of Cusa lies an ecologically promising vision of nature. The concept of divine immanence presented by this medieval thinker provides a rich spirituality that is inclusive, rather than exclusive, of the natural world. It is also far more intimate than contemporary stewardship theology. Cusanus interprets theophany as divine self-expression. A series of striking metaphors, including God’s enfolding and unfolding, God as ‘Not-other’, and Christ as the contracted maximum, reveals a holistic spirituality. Nicholas of Cusa’s concept of divine immanence infuses the world with immeasurable value and gives rise to a Christian theology that can address the current ecological crisis. This paper was delivered during the APA Pacific 2007 Mini-Conference on Models of God in response to a presentation of Nancy Hudson’s “Divine Immanence.”     

The Experience of Crisis in Families of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Across the Lifespan

It is well-established that parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience significant stress in their caregiving role, and research findings indicate that chronic stressors can act as a precipitant to crisis. In the present study, we examined the experience of crisis in families of individuals with ASD from early childhood to adulthood. One hundred and fifty-seven comments provided by family members in response to an online survey were coded using grounded theory methods. We explored three components of crisis drawn from the comments: antecedents (precipitating events and the context of crisis), behaviors (the nature of crisis), and consequences (outcomes and reactions to crisis). Similarities and differences in the crisis experiences among varying age groups are discussed, as well as implications for practice and future research.     

THE ELEMENTAL TURN

By referring to the present environmental “crisis,” this essay presents the turn to elemental nature as a task that thinking must undertake. What this turn involves is clarified by means of a series of distinctions between things and natural elements.     

关于全球伦理的哲学审思

全球化过程有两个基本方面：一是科学技术的发展,一是资本主义的发展。迄今为止的全球化过程是资本主义利用不断更新的科学技术来实现自己发展的过程,此过程的社会实质在于资本主义全球化——包括资本主义经济全球化和与之相适应的资本主义伦理全球化。然而,诸如反全球化浪潮之美的国际现象和国际事件表明,原来作为全球化之推动力量的资本主义,如今正在走向其反面,愈来愈成为全球化的阻碍力量了;而日益严重的全球性生态危机,更其表明资本主义再也不能按其固有的方式存在和发展了。因此,客观上要求变革现存的资本主义经济制度及其伦理——包括资本主义经济理性、人理性和科学理性。适应解决当今全球性生态危机的需要,一种新伦理——生态伦理正在形成之中,它有望最终演变为取代传统资本主义伦理的全球伦理。     

深层生态学与生态伦理学

本文介绍了西方新兴学科深层生态学的学科内涵、发展概况 ,论述了深层生态学与生态伦理学的关系。认为深层生态学更侧重对自然、人在自然中的位置、生态系统等进行深层的哲学追问 ,因而可以说深层生态学就是生态哲学。生态伦理学则着重研究人与自然的道德关系 ,制订自然道德原则 ,为评判人们利用自然、改造自然的目标与实践活动提供价值标准。     

人的本质:从费尔巴哈到马克思--对《关于费尔巴哈的提纲》中一个重要观点的理解

把人的本质界定为“社会关系的总和”,并认定这只是马克思的观点,这并非是对马克思的《关于费尔巴哈的提纲》的准确解读。其实费尔巴哈已经从社会关系来界定人的本质了。与费尔巴哈不同,马克思自己首先是从人与自然之间的实践关系来规定人的本质的。由此出发,才能正确认识马克思所说的社会性的真实含义及其在自然生态问题空前严重的当今世界的深刻意义。