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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.
List of contents
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
About the author
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).
Summary
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.
