The Boundless Circle: Caring for Creatures and Creation - Hardcover

Fox, Dr. Michael W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0835607259 ISBN 13: 9780835607254

Publisher: Quest Books, 1996

Synopsis

Veterinarian Dr. Michael Fox examines religion's attitude, especially Christianity, toward the treatment of animals and nature. Fox argues that the world's ecological salvation lies in embracing panentheism, the seed idea within the mystical tradition of all major religions, a philosophy which, unlike pantheism, states that it is not God that inhabits the world, but the world that inhabits God.

About this title

From Library Journal:

The latest work by Fox, a bioethicist, veterinarian, and vice-president of the Humane Society of the United States, is first and foremost about the intrinsic moral rights of animals and nature. Fox examines the roots of human dominion over the natural world in Western society, tracing the exploitation of animals to the influence of Christianity, scientific materialism, and Darwinian biology. This link, while not original, does lay the foundation for Fox's introduction of the concept of pantheism as a philosophical model of how humans should interact with nature. Pantheism, a blend of St. Francis of Assisi's sacramentalist doctrine and transcendental monotheism, contains a mystical thread that flows through most major religions, stating that it is not God that inhabits the world but the world that inhabits God. Fox concludes that "respecting other living beings and conserving Nature is enlightened self-interest?a spiritual and survival imperative" for 21st-century humankind. The only drawback to this thoughtful book is that an index was not included. Highly recommended for academicians, activists, and general readers.?Susan Maret, Auraria Lib., Univ. of Colorado, Denver
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Quest Books
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0835607259
• ISBN 13: 9780835607254
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 300