What Is Ecological Civilization?: Crisis, Hope, and the Future of the Planet - Softcover

Clayton, Philip; Schwartz, Wm. Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1940447410 ISBN 13: 9781940447414

Publisher: Process Century Press, 2019

Synopsis

The present trajectory of life on this planet is unsustainable, and the underlying causes of our environmental crisis are inseparable from our social and economic systems. The massive inequality between the rich and the poor is not separate from our systems of unlimited growth, the depletion of natural resources, the extinction of species, or global warming. As climate predictions continue to exceed projections, it is clear that hopelessness is rapidly becoming our worst enemy. What is needed—urgently—is a new vision for the flourishing of life on this planet, a vision the authors are calling an ecological civilization. Along the way they have learned that this term brings hope unlike any other. It reminds us that humans have gone through many civilizations in the past, and the end of a particular civilization does not necessarily mean the end of humanity, much less the end of all life on the planet. It is not hard for us to conceive of a society after the fall of modernity, in which humans live in an equitable and sustainable way with one another and the planet. This book explores the idea of ecological civilization by asking eight key questions about it and drawing answers from relational philosophies, the ecological sciences, systems thinking and network theory, and the world’s religious and spiritual traditions. It concludes that a genuinely ecological civilization is not a utopian ideal, but a practical way to live. To recognize this, and to begin to take steps to establish it, is the foundation for realistic hope.

About this title

About the Author:

Philip Clayton, Ingraham Professor at Claremont School of Theology, has taught and written for several decades on relations between science, religion, and ethics. The author or editor of some two dozen books, he now researches on societal changes that are necessary for establishing sustainable forms of civilization on this planet.

Wm. Andrew Schwartz is Co-Founder and Executive Vice President of EcoCiv. He is a scholar, organizer, and non-profit administrator. Andrew is also the Executive Director of the Center for Process Studies. He earned a PhD in Philosophy of Religion and Theology at Claremont Graduate University, and was a principal organizer of the Seizing an Alternative Conference (June 2015).

Review:

"This is a book of unusal clarity and power, on the most important topic in the world. It is a reminder that philosophy is as essential as engineering for successfully maneuvering through the obstacle course that is our immediate future." Bill McKibben

About this edition

• Publisher: Process Century Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1940447410
• ISBN 13: 9781940447414
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176