1st Edition

Many Layers of Ecocentrism Revering Life, Revering the Earth

By Abhik Gupta Copyright 2024
248 Pages
by Routledge India

248 Pages
by Routledge India

248 Pages
by Routledge India

This book unveils the myriad streams of ecocentric thoughts that have been flowing through the human mind – in indigenous communities, in the wisdom of philosophers, in the creative expressions of poets and writers – sometimes latent, but sometimes more explicit. The strength of this book lies in the fact that it attempts to show that ecocentrism had not emerged suddenly as a distinct line of... Read more

In Lieu of a Preface: The Rationale for This Book viii

1 The Question of Values 1

2 Ethical Frameworks: Anthropocentrism, Biocentrism, and Ecocentrism 18

3 Ecocentrism and the Question of Sentience in Animals and Plants 40

4 “The Shallow and the Deep” Ecologies 62

5 Indigenous Views of Nature and Recognition of Its “Soul” 78

6 Nature in Religions: Venerating Nature 93

7 Nature in the Realm of Imagination 111

8 Biosphere, Noösphere, and Technosphere 140

9 Ecocentrism in Environmental Policy, Law and Governance 161

10 Ecocentrism Beyond Earth: Ethics of Space Exploration 178

Epilogue 197

References 200

Index 225



Biography

Abhik Gupta is a former professor of Ecology and Environmental Science and Pro Vice-Chancellor of Assam University, Silchar, India. He has an experience of over 35 years of teaching biology and environmental science in both undergraduate and post-graduate courses and has supervised over 25 doctoral theses. His research interests include biodiversity studies, environmental pollution, policy, and ethics. His recent publications include Heavy Metal and Metalloid Contamination of Surface and Underground Water (2020) and Ethics and Biodiversity (2021).