TWH – On October 12, 2023, Marble Collegiate Church, a Christian Protestant congregation in New York City, and the Temple of Understanding, a nonprofit organization founded in 1960 with the aim of promoting interfaith understanding and harmony, hosted an online forum, ”Earth Democracy and the Rights of Nature.” The forum began to expand the concept of the rights of nature to a multi-species democracy. The forum could have been aptly titled “political animism.”
The forum began and ended with musical prayers. Carole Vandal, Wampanoag Tribal Elder, offered those musical prayers on a wind instrument. Chief Arvol Looking Horse opened the event with a prayer in the Dakota language. His Holiness Kyabgon Gongma Trichen Rinpoche (The Sakya Trichen) offered the second prayer.
Dr. Vandana Shiva provided the first keynote address. Dr. Shiva is an Indian scholar, environmental activist, and author with a PhD in the philosophy of physics. She is often referred to as the “Gandhi of grain” for her activism associated with the anti-GMO movement.
For Dr. Shiva, everything begins with her traditional belief that Mother Earth is a living being. She likened that traditional belief to the modern Gaia hypothesis. According to that hypothesis, the earth is a living, creative, self-regulating system.
Shiva notes that the evolution of plants shows that Earth-wide self-regulation in action. Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the air. In exchange, it returns oxygen back into the air. Animals have a similar exchange but it is reversed. Over millions of years, these exchanges caused the ratio of gases in the atmosphere to change.
Shiva explained that the burning of fossil fuels is also changing the ratio of gases in the atmosphere. It is doing so, however, within a 300-year time frame. Climate change is disrupting Gaia’s self-regulation.
She underscored however the possible conflicts exist between the rights of species. All non-human beings have their rights, specific to their species or kind. The rights of each being are limited only by the rights of other beings. If the rights of beings come into conflict, any resolution would have to maintain the balance and integrity of Mother Earth.
For earth democracy to exist, it requires the democracy of all life. All life should have the freedom to evolve in togetherness. All life, including human life, exists because of symbiotic relationships. Dr. Shiva said, “The world is alive in symbiosis.” If the earth has rights, then we humans must put limits on our use of nature.
The earth is one family. In every culture, water is sacred. The soil is sacred. Biodiversity is sacred. The whole earth is sacred, she added in her comments in a manner consistent with many modern Pagan perspectives.
Authors and theologians then added to the forum providing multiple perspectives on the rights of nature. Professor Karam discussed an Islamic perspective on the rights of nature. What follows is a synopsis of what Professor Karam said at the forum. It has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Karam said that in Islam, the first human had the task of being the steward of Allah on this Earth. They had the responsibility to safeguard it. People should protect the universe from evil, abuse, and misuse. The Koran, Karam says, warns humanity against harming any part of what Allah has entrusted them. Karam added that Sura two of the Koran warns humans not to commit abuse or discord on the earth. That Sura calls that abuse worse than murder.
The famous “Blue Marble” photograph, captured by the crew of Apollo 17 [public domain]
Dr. Ursula Goodenough is an is an American biologist and professor emerita of biology at Washington University in St. Louis. She is known for her research in the field of cell biology, specifically in the areas of cell signaling and the molecular mechanisms that regulate cell growth and differentiation. Apart from her scientific contributions, Goodenough is also known for her work in promoting dialogue between science and religion. She has written extensively on the intersection of science and faith, exploring how these two seemingly different realms can coexist and even enrich each other.
Goodenough brought up an uncomfortable fact. Some species eat each other. Their rights are in conflict. She used the example of parasitic nematodes and beech trees that they feed on. Does one species have the right to kill and eat the other? That is a difficult and complex conversation. Goodenough is happy that these conversations are starting.
Dr. Robin Kimmerer directs the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. She is a renowned author, botanist, and professor. She is best known for her book “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants,” published in 2013. In this highly acclaimed book, Kimmerer combines indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge to explore the deep relationship between humans and the natural world. Kimmerer is also a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, which gives her a unique perspective on the intersection of indigenous wisdom and ecological science. She is also a distinguished professor of environmental biology at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF).
Kimmerer questioned applying a human concept like rights to non-human beings. She favored a more relational approach. Humans should think about their responsibilities to, as well as the rights of, nature.
While certainly preferable to violence, filing a rights lawsuit is not only a human mechanism but also a Western strategy to resolve conflict. Kimmerer remembered a conversation that she had had with a scientist. They said, “Do you think that Sugar Maple would want to sue you for rights?” Kimmerer said she realized that the sugar maple would much rather teach than sue.
Kimmerer contrasted mutual responsibility with an adversarial rights suit. She stressed that the damage was to interconnected communities, not to autonomous actors. The resolution would involve relational repair. She argued for a Bill of Responsibility. Goodenough spoke about how we need to talk more about what we need to give to other humans and non-human beings.
Professor Carol White teaches the study of religion at Bucknell University. She is a philosopher of religion and explores the topic of “Religious naturalism,” which she explains in an interview at Bucknell as a view that “sees humans as a part of nature and of nature’s processes. It’s an ecologically driven philosophy in which human beings, animals and the Earth itself are intimately connected, and nature itself is the point of departure for all religious awe.” White said that she does not use “rights-based” language. She prefers to talk about human relationships with the non-human world. That relationship compels our species to act for all life to thrive.
Despite the Gaia-centric discussions, there was limited representation of Neopagan traditions in the online forum. In contrast, Cherry Hill Seminary and the University of South Carolina Institute of Anthropology & Archaeology hosted religious thinkers in 2016 to discuss the intersection of various faiths, including Pagan spiritual traditions, with eco-spirituality. Dr. Jonathan Leader, who heads the South Carolina Office of the State Archaeologist, edited a volume covering that conference titled, ” The Greening of Religion – Hope In the Eye of the Storm.”
Still, there was representation from Indigenous and African perspectives. They remain available online.
The Wild Hunt is not responsible for links to external content.
To join a conversation on this post:
Visit our The Wild Hunt subreddit! Point your favorite browser to https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Wild_Hunt_News/, then click “JOIN”. Make sure to click the bell, too, to be notified of new articles posted to our subreddit.