Personal Website by Bron R Taylor
There is no scienti c consensus whether a new epoch labeled the Anthropocene should be declared a... more There is no scienti c consensus whether a new epoch labeled the Anthropocene should be declared and, if so, when it started. Yet the basic idea can be helpful and provocatively stated: The Anthropocene is that period in Earth's history traceable to when Homo sapiens began subjugating and expropriating for its own use the world's organisms and ecosystems. Given this understanding it may be possible to illuminate how 'religion' and 'popular culture' are entangled with these anthropogenic processes. The creative productions and commercial enterprises launched by Walt Disney and his corporation, re ect, express, and promote diverse understandings of the human domination of the world and those peoples often understood to have bene cent, spiritual relations with nature. Analyzing understandings, contentions, and trends that are found under Disney's umbrella shows how it re ects and promotes diverse cultural understandings, including religious ones, about the proper relationships between human beings and their various environments. Such analysis also shows that signi cant changes are unfolding and that some of Disney's creatives are among a growing chorus of rebels against the Anthropocene.
Books by Bron R Taylor
Avatar & Nature Spirituality (Wilfrid Laurier University Press), 2013
Avatar and Nature Spirituality explores the cultural and religious significance of James Cameron’... more Avatar and Nature Spirituality explores the cultural and religious significance of James Cameron’s film Avatar (2010), one of the most commercially successful motion pictures of all time. Its success was due in no small measure to the beauty of the Pandora landscape and the dramatic, heart-wrenching plight of its nature-venerating inhabitants. To some audience members, the film was inspirational, leading them to express affinity with the film’s message of ecological interdependence and animistic spirituality. Some were moved to support the efforts of indigenous peoples, who were metaphorically and sympathetically depicted in the film, to protect their cultures and environments. To others, the film was politically, ethically, or spiritually dangerous. Indeed, the global reception to the film was intense, contested, and often confusing.
This document includes the book's Table of Contents and the contributions by its editor, Bron Taylor.
To illuminate the film and its reception, this book draws on an interdisciplinary team of scholars, experts in indigenous traditions, religious studies, anthropology, literature and film, and post-colonial studies. Readers will learn about the cultural and religious trends that gave rise to the film and the reasons these trends are feared, resisted, and criticized, enabling them to wrestle with their own views about the film and the controversy. Like the film itself, Avatar and Nature Spirituality provides an opportunity for considering afresh the ongoing struggle to determine how we should live on our home planet, and what sorts of political, economic, and spiritual values and practices would best guide us.
This chapter explores terms that are central to this study: religion, spirituality, nature religi... more This chapter explores terms that are central to this study: religion, spirituality, nature religion, green religion, and dark green religion. Although this sort of linguistic labor may seem most pertinent to those with backgrounds in anthropology and religious studies, it should be even more valuable to those with little background in the academic study of religion. The rationale for this starting point is simple: terminology matters. It shapes methods and focuses attention in illuminating ways. Terminology also carries assumptions that may occlude phenomena that might well be relevant to any given inquiry. It is important in this investigation, therefore, to reflect critically on the terms employed.
Grassroots and radical environmental movements have become important actors in global environment... more Grassroots and radical environmental movements have become important actors in global environmental politics. Since the early 1990s, Taylor has studied such movements, especially Earth First! and the Earth Liberation Front. In this book, Taylor commissioned scholars to explore grassroots environmental protest movements around the world, analyzing the ways in which they resemble and differ from one another with regard to their critical analyses and strategies, religious and ethical motives, and political impacts.
When published, there was nothing like this book in scholarly literature. It has been assigned at over 50 colleges and universities in more than a dozen countries. The conditions that gave rise to these movements have only intensified, suggesting that for the foreseeable future, ecological resistance movements will continue to pose direct challenges the environmental beliefs and practices that predominate in the today's world. This book and the issues raised in it remain highly relevant to the global struggle for environmental sustainability and social justice.
The award winning Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature critically explores the relationships among... more The award winning Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature critically explores the relationships among human beings, their environments, and the religious dimensions of life. Further information and sample entries can be found at the urls provided here or via Bron Taylor's website at www.brontaylor.com.
Papers by Bron R Taylor
Oryx, 2017
If we want a whole Earth, Nature Needs Half: a response to Büscher et al. Büscher et al.'s ()... more If we want a whole Earth, Nature Needs Half: a response to Büscher et al. Büscher et al.'s () recent article 'Half-Earth or Whole Earth? Radical ideas for conservation, and their implications' raises some important issues for conservation, but it paints a misleading picture of the Nature Needs Half movement. Nature Needs Half expresses three main tenets: () habitat loss and degradation are the leading causes of biodiversity loss, () current protected areas are not extensive enough to stem further loss of biodiversity, and () it is morally wrong for our species to drive other species to extinction (Wilson, ). Conservation biologists agree that to maintain viable populations of most of Earth's remaining species, we will need to protect c. % of landscapes and seascapes from intensive human economic use (Noss & Cooperrider, ; Locke, ). This bold goal is necessary if we hope to bring our societies' massive displacement of other species to an end. Necessary, but not sufficient. Büscher et al. correctly note that setting aside more habitat for other species will not preserve them if we continue to misbehave in more developed areas: over-consuming and generating excessive pollution, for example. It is all one Earth, after all, and protected areas are often degraded by external actions. We also agree with Büscher et al. that any significant changes in land use, including Nature Needs Half, must be made with due consideration for the rights and interests of the world's poor and indigenous peoples (Kopnina, ). This accords with a consensus among conservationists that local communities should be actively involved in conservation efforts. However, intraspecies justice-justice for peopleshould not come at the expense of interspecies justice: the very existence of other species. Nature Needs Half proponents envision a world where all species can flourish (Goodall, ). This will require setting aside sufficient habitat for other species while living justly and prudently on the remainder. Supporters of Nature Needs Half agree with Büscher et al. on the need to challenge the neoliberal growth economy (Crist, ); our proposal does precisely that, by protecting many more areas from its ravenous demands for natural resources. Creating such a mutually flourishing world will also require limiting human numbers, another sharp challenge to the endless growth economy (and a subject ignored by Büscher et al.). The scientific consensus is clear: humanity is on a trajectory to cause a mass extinction unrivalled in the last million years of life on Earth (Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, ). This calamity can be avoided only by setting aside far more of Earth's land and seas for conservation, and by developing ecologically sustainable societies. We believe doing so is a moral imperative (Cafaro & Primack, ). We owe it to the many magnificent and unique forms of life that remain, who we have no right to exterminate, and we owe it to future human generations, who will be grateful to inherit a lively, diverse, resilient and beautiful biosphere.
Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, 2016
Herein we provide a comprehensive review of research pertinent to Lynn White, Jr's contention... more Herein we provide a comprehensive review of research pertinent to Lynn White, Jr's contentions in 'The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis'(1967) about the negative environmental impacts of 'Judeo-Christian' ideas as well as subsequent claims that the world's predominant religions are becoming more environmentally friendly. Definitive conclusions are difficult given the complexity of biocultural systems; nevertheless, extant research has identified many themes and dynamics that hinder environmental understanding and mobilization by religious individuals, whether Abrahamic or involved in religions that originated in Asia. Some indigenous traditions, however, appear to foster pro-environmental perceptions and behaviors as do some nature-based cosmologies and value systems, which are often deeply informed by the sciences and direct experience within environmental systems. Our review overturns common misperceptions regarding the role of religion in environmen...
Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2021
The unfolding crises of mass extinction and climate change call for urgent action in response. To... more The unfolding crises of mass extinction and climate change call for urgent action in response. To limit biodiversity losses and avert the worst effects of climate disruption, we must greatly expand nature protection while simultaneously downsizing and transforming human systems. The conservation initiative Nature Needs Half (or Half Earth), calling for the conservation of half the Earth's land and seas, is commensurate with the enormous challenges we face. Critics have objected to this initiative as harboring hardship for people near protected areas and for failing to confront the growth economy as the main engine of global ecological destruction. In response to the first criticism, we affirm that conservation policies must be designed and implemented in collaboration with Indigenous and local communities. In response to the second criticism, we argue that protecting half the Earth needs to be complemented by downscaling and reforming economic life, humanely and gradually reduci...
Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture, 2021
I wrote the following remections in the hope they will encourage further research and debate abou... more I wrote the following remections in the hope they will encourage further research and debate about the phenomena I explored in Dark Green Religion: Nature Spiritualty and the Planetary Future. These remections are adapted from the ‘Vorwort zur deutschen Neuausgabe: Dunkelgrüne Religion—Zehn Jahre danach’, with which I introduced the German edition.
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La traduzione rispetta sia la forma linguistica che la struttura compositiva del testo originale.... more La traduzione rispetta sia la forma linguistica che la struttura compositiva del testo originale. Per questo motivo si è ritenuto di non dover tradurre le definizioni green religion, dark green religion, spiritual but not religious e greening of religion in quanto non ci sono corrispettivi italiani già in uso che rendano la complessità delle suddette categorie. Riteniamo che i termini possano risultare comunque comprensibili ad un pubblico italofono che si approcci al testo.
Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture
Biological Conservation
The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has ... more The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) has become influential in biodiversity conservation. Its research is published widely and has been adopted by the United Nations and the Convention for Biological Diversity. This platform includes discussion about how values relate to biodiversity conservation. The IPBES emphasizes "relational values", connecting these with living a "good life," and "nature's contributions to people" (NCP); building upon ecosystem services (ES), which have dominated nature valuation for 15+ years. Although the IPBES acknowledges instrumental and intrinsic natural values, they purport that by adopting relational values, conservation will become more socially-and culturally-inclusive, moving beyond the "unhelpful dichotomy" between instrumental and intrinsic values. We wholeheartedly agree that conservation should become more inclusiveit should, in fact, morally include nonhuman nature. We argue that far from being half of an unhelpful dichotomy, intrinsic natural values are incontrovertible elements of any honest effort to sustain Earth's biodiversity. We find NCP to be mainly anthropocentric, and relational values to be largely instrumental. The "good life" they support is a good life for humans, and not for nonhuman beings or collectives. While passingly acknowledging intrinsic natural values, the current IPBES platform gives little attention to these, and to corresponding ecocentric worldviews. In this paper we demonstrate the important practical implications of operationalizing intrinsic values for conservation, such as ecological justice, i.e., "peoples' obligations to nature". We urge the IPBES platform, in their future values work, to become much more inclusive of intrinsic values and ecocentrism.
Ecocentrism is the broadest term for worldviews that recognize intrinsic value in all lifeforms a... more Ecocentrism is the broadest term for worldviews that recognize intrinsic value in all lifeforms and ecosystems themselves, including their abiotic components. Anthropocentrism, in contrast, values other lifeforms and ecosystems insofar as they are valuable for human well-being, preferences and interests. Herein, the authors examine the roots of ecocentrism and discuss its mixed history of international recognition. They argue that non-human nature has intrinsic value irrespective of human preferences or valuation, and they refute the claim that ecocentrism is misanthropic. They then summarize four key examples from the academic literature in which anthropocentrism fails to provide an ethic adequate for respecting and protecting planet Earth and its inhabitants. The authors conclude that ecocentrism is essential for solving our unprecedented environmental crisis, arguing its importance from four perspectives: ethical, evolutionary, spiritual and ecological. They contend that a social...
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Personal Website by Bron R Taylor
Books by Bron R Taylor
This document includes the book's Table of Contents and the contributions by its editor, Bron Taylor.
To illuminate the film and its reception, this book draws on an interdisciplinary team of scholars, experts in indigenous traditions, religious studies, anthropology, literature and film, and post-colonial studies. Readers will learn about the cultural and religious trends that gave rise to the film and the reasons these trends are feared, resisted, and criticized, enabling them to wrestle with their own views about the film and the controversy. Like the film itself, Avatar and Nature Spirituality provides an opportunity for considering afresh the ongoing struggle to determine how we should live on our home planet, and what sorts of political, economic, and spiritual values and practices would best guide us.
When published, there was nothing like this book in scholarly literature. It has been assigned at over 50 colleges and universities in more than a dozen countries. The conditions that gave rise to these movements have only intensified, suggesting that for the foreseeable future, ecological resistance movements will continue to pose direct challenges the environmental beliefs and practices that predominate in the today's world. This book and the issues raised in it remain highly relevant to the global struggle for environmental sustainability and social justice.
Papers by Bron R Taylor
This document includes the book's Table of Contents and the contributions by its editor, Bron Taylor.
To illuminate the film and its reception, this book draws on an interdisciplinary team of scholars, experts in indigenous traditions, religious studies, anthropology, literature and film, and post-colonial studies. Readers will learn about the cultural and religious trends that gave rise to the film and the reasons these trends are feared, resisted, and criticized, enabling them to wrestle with their own views about the film and the controversy. Like the film itself, Avatar and Nature Spirituality provides an opportunity for considering afresh the ongoing struggle to determine how we should live on our home planet, and what sorts of political, economic, and spiritual values and practices would best guide us.
When published, there was nothing like this book in scholarly literature. It has been assigned at over 50 colleges and universities in more than a dozen countries. The conditions that gave rise to these movements have only intensified, suggesting that for the foreseeable future, ecological resistance movements will continue to pose direct challenges the environmental beliefs and practices that predominate in the today's world. This book and the issues raised in it remain highly relevant to the global struggle for environmental sustainability and social justice.
has been scheduled to be held in Kunming, China, in October 2020.
environmental protection. Fourth, human self-love is not only natural but helpful as a starting point for loving others, including nonhumans. Herein we analyze such arguments, agreeing with parts of them while advancing four counter-arguments. First, redefining the term anthropocentrism seems to be an attempt to ignore
behavior in which humans focus on themselves at the risk of the planet. Second, if addressing human inequalities is a precondition for environmental protection, biodiversity protection will remain out of the scope of ethical consideration for an indefinite period of time. Third, anthropocentric motivations can only make a positive contribution to the environment in situations where humans are conscious
of a direct benefit to themselves. Fourth, ‘self-love’ alone is an inadequate basis for environmental concern and action. We also explore the question of agency, shared responsibility, and a fair attribution of blame for our environmental predicaments.
10 September 2015. An abridged French Translation of the CFP for Religion Science and the Future, the ISSRNC 10th Anniversary Conference.
As an interdisciplinary society, the ISSRNC is interested in all aspects of the relations between religion, nature and culture. Our conferences and journal are, therefore, replete with contributions grounded in a wide range of the arts, humanities, and sciences. Panels and paper proposals may address any aspect of the religion/nature/culture nexus, and focus on any time frame, space, or place.
Since the main conference theme is “Religion, Science and the Future”, we especially encourage proposals that, whatever else they illuminate, reflect as well on Religion, Science, and the Future. Conference subthemes include: Evolution, Religion and Science; Religion, Violence, and Neuroscience; Religion and Science on Health and Well Being; Religion, Science, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems; Consciousness, Mysticism, & Meditative Practice; The Greening of Religion; Religion and Nature in the Arts; and Ethology, Botany, and Sentience.
Further details can be found in the document provided here.