How Confucianism could curb global warming
In today’s Christian Science Monitor, I published an op-ed piece that ties together some of the themes that I’ve been blogging about lately:
- Is democracy the best vehicle to ensure sustainable development?
- What is the Confucian view of the human person and its relationship to the environment?
- How is the Confucian renaissance in China changing official thinking about economic decisions?
You can read more on how Confucianism could curb global warming.
what is freedom of religion for?
A Taiji quan performance at a Daoist temple in Sichuan
There is hardly a truth more sacred to the contemporary American imagination than that religion must be free from interference by the state and that the state must be free from interference from religion. Neither of these ideals holds true in China, and this fact is an enormous thorn in the side of Chinese-American relations, especially as regards the Tibet question.
The fact is that religions and the state in China have co-existed in something of a symbiotic relationship for thousands of years. In medieval China, Buddhists seeking to ingratiate themselves in the life of the court proposed rituals to bring about the salvation and prosperity of the empire. Daoist priests also ordained emperors and oversaw court rituals. In return, the Emperor bestowed his patronage on monasteries and temples, granting them land, money and prestige. At the heart of this arrangement was a very simple and natural proposition: you help me and I’ll help you. Read the rest of this entry »
sustainable economic decisions
A poster announces a power plant to be built in Tianjin, China.
On Sunday the New York Times published a report, China Outpaces U.S. in Cleaner Coal-Fired Plants, which documented China’s transition to cleaner forms of energy. Although much of China’s energy needs are still met by inefficient coal-fired power stations with poor track records in terms of emissions, China has begun to invest heavily in cleaner coal technology with a view to improving efficiency and reducing emissions. The effect of this transition is already being taken into account by climate forecasters. Read the rest of this entry »
does environmental science lead to environmental action?
I have just finished teaching my undergraduate course on religion and the environment. Most of the students are in engineering or environmental science, and the course fulfills a humanities requirement for them. It’s been fascinating teaching scientists about religion, as you can imagine, but it’s also been hard.
One of the most serious problems that I’ve had to deal with among my students is the basic assumption that seems to be taught in environmental science, namely that knowing more about the environment is the best way to generate action on the environment. Read the rest of this entry »