Environmental Stewardship: Confluence of Law and Religion?
Why should we bear responsibility for the degradation of the environment? A wide range of responses is on offer to this question. Common to them all is they are all rooted in one or the other ontological and epistemic point of departure or set of premises. This raises the question of the relationsh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
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North-West University
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://perjournal.co.za/article/view/13879 |
| _version_ | 1818010914814689280 |
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| author | Francois Venter |
| author_facet | Francois Venter |
| author_sort | Francois Venter |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Why should we bear responsibility for the degradation of the environment? A wide range of responses is on offer to this question. Common to them all is they are all rooted in one or the other ontological and epistemic point of departure or set of premises. This raises the question of the relationship between law and religion and linkages of religion with environmental concerns. What emerges, perhaps against the volition of the scientific world, is that the foundational links between environmental law and religion are significant – even where environmentalists shirk from or even denounce religion. Justification of this view is found in concise survey of the essence of law and religion. The analysis leads to the notion of stewardship, a concept steeped in, but not exclusive to religion in its diverse manifestations. Examples of ecocentric religious attitudes – ranging from the traditions of the North American Anishinabek, aboriginal Australians and indigenous African culture to Buddhism and Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity in its principal manifestations – provide a broad picture of adherence to beliefs in human responsibility to take care of the environment. This widespread conviction of stewardship endures despite awareness of the human inability to create or sovereignly determine the course of nature (here termed "the hypothesis of incompetence").
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T06:00:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2fa7e3d749bb4eb3b8f1c75d157b7fc4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1727-3781 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T06:00:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | North-West University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-2fa7e3d749bb4eb3b8f1c75d157b7fc42022-12-22T02:08:45ZafrNorth-West UniversityPotchefstroom Electronic Law Journal1727-37812022-08-012510.17159/1727-3781/2022/v25ia13879Environmental Stewardship: Confluence of Law and Religion?Francois Venter0Research fellow at the faculty of law, North-West University and founding editor of PER Why should we bear responsibility for the degradation of the environment? A wide range of responses is on offer to this question. Common to them all is they are all rooted in one or the other ontological and epistemic point of departure or set of premises. This raises the question of the relationship between law and religion and linkages of religion with environmental concerns. What emerges, perhaps against the volition of the scientific world, is that the foundational links between environmental law and religion are significant – even where environmentalists shirk from or even denounce religion. Justification of this view is found in concise survey of the essence of law and religion. The analysis leads to the notion of stewardship, a concept steeped in, but not exclusive to religion in its diverse manifestations. Examples of ecocentric religious attitudes – ranging from the traditions of the North American Anishinabek, aboriginal Australians and indigenous African culture to Buddhism and Hinduism, Judaism and Christianity in its principal manifestations – provide a broad picture of adherence to beliefs in human responsibility to take care of the environment. This widespread conviction of stewardship endures despite awareness of the human inability to create or sovereignly determine the course of nature (here termed "the hypothesis of incompetence"). https://perjournal.co.za/article/view/13879environmental lawclimate changeecologyanthropomorphismecocentrismearth jurisprudence |
| spellingShingle | Francois Venter Environmental Stewardship: Confluence of Law and Religion? Potchefstroom Electronic Law Journal environmental law climate change ecology anthropomorphism ecocentrism earth jurisprudence |
| title | Environmental Stewardship: Confluence of Law and Religion? |
| title_full | Environmental Stewardship: Confluence of Law and Religion? |
| title_fullStr | Environmental Stewardship: Confluence of Law and Religion? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Environmental Stewardship: Confluence of Law and Religion? |
| title_short | Environmental Stewardship: Confluence of Law and Religion? |
| title_sort | environmental stewardship confluence of law and religion |
| topic | environmental law climate change ecology anthropomorphism ecocentrism earth jurisprudence |
| url | https://perjournal.co.za/article/view/13879 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT francoisventer environmentalstewardshipconfluenceoflawandreligion |