Judaism And Environmental Ethics
Judaism And Environmental Ethics

Author: Martin D. Yaffe

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2002-05-09

Total Pages: 433

ISBN-13: 0585383650

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Martin D. Yaffe's Judaism and Environmental Ethics: A Reader is a well-conceived exploration of three interrelated questions: Does the Hebrew Bible, or subsequent Jewish tradition, teach environmental responsibility or not? What Jewish teachings, if any, appropriately address today's environmental crisis? Do ecology, Judaism, and philosophy work together, or are they at odds with each other in confronting the current crisis? Yaffe's extensive introduction analyzes and appraises the anthologized essays, each of which serves to deepen and enrich our understanding of current reflection on Judaism and environmental ethics. Brought together in one volume for the first time, the most important scholars in the field touch on diverse disciplines including deep ecology, political philosophy, and biblical hermeneutics. This ambitious book illustrates—precisely because of its interdisciplinary focus—how longstanding disagreements and controversies may spark further interchange among ecologists, Jews, and philosophers. Both accessible and thoroughly scholarly, this dialogue will benefit anyone interested in ethical and religious considerations of contemporary ecology.

The Way into Judaism and the Environment
The Way into Judaism and the Environment

Author: Jeremy Benstein, PhD

Publisher: Turner Publishing Company

Published: 2013-05-07

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 1580236812

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An accessible introduction to the Jewish understanding of the natural world and the key concepts central to Jewish environmentalism. At a time of growing concern about environmental issues, this book explores the relationship Jews have with the natural world and the ways in which Judaism contributes to contemporary social/environmental issues. It also shows readers the extent to which Judaism is part of the problem and how it can be part of the solution. Offering both an environmental interpretation of Judaism and a Jewish approach to environmentalism, this book examines: What environmentalism is. What the creation stories can teach us about who we are and what nature is. The relevance of Torah and traditional sources.

The Way Into Judaism and the Environment
The Way Into Judaism and the Environment

Author: Jeremy Benstein

Publisher: Jewish Lights Publishing

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 290

ISBN-13: 158023268X

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An accessible introduction to the Jewish understanding of the natural world and the key concepts central to Jewish environmentalism. At a time of growing concern about environmental issues, this book explores the relationship Jews have with the natural world and the ways in which Judaism contributes to contemporary social/environmental issues. It also shows readers the extent to which Judaism is part of the problem and how it can be part of the solution. Offering both an environmental interpretation of Judaism and a Jewish approach to environmentalism, this book examines: What environmentalism is. What the creation stories can teach us about who we are and what nature is. The relevance of Torah and traditional sources.

Waste Not
Waste Not

Author: Tanhum S. Yoreh

Publisher: SUNY Press

Published: 2019-12-01

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 1438476698

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Traces the development of bal tashḥit, the Jewish prohibition against wastefulness and destruction, from its biblical origins to the contemporary environmental movement. Bal tashḥit, the Jewish prohibition against wastefulness and destruction, is considered to be an ecological ethical principle by contemporary Jewish environmentalists. Waste Not provides a comprehensive intellectual history of this concept, charting its evolution from the Bible through classical rabbinic literature, commentaries, codes of law, responsa, and the works of modern environmentalists. Tanhum S. Yoreh uses the methodology of tradition histories to identify pivotal moments in the development of the prohibition—in particular, its transition into an economic framework. He finds that bal tashḥit’s earliest stages of conceptualization connect the prohibition against wastefulness with avoidance of self-harm. This connection is commonplace within contemporary environmental thought and a universalizing Jewish principle with important contributions to be made to Jewish and general societal ecological discourse. Yoreh’s narrative provides a foundation for understanding bal tashḥit as an environmental ethic for today and tomorrow. “The book’s argument, well grounded as it is in firm textual evidence, displays a sound familiarity with rabbinic sources and communicates it in a manner suitable for readers whose familiarity with those sources may vary. There is a drama implicit in the presentation, having to do with the religiously and environmentally pressing question of how Jewish sources show up under close historical and environmental examination.” — Martin D. Yaffe, University of North Texas

Seeds of Change
Seeds of Change

Author: Susan J. Coonin Kogon

Publisher: ProQuest

Published: 2008

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9780549388234

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The work at hand focuses on the possibility of an alternative way of considering the modern world, using the exemplar of the inseparable ethical-environmental mandates of traditional Judaism, with the hope of revealing possible frameworks for critiquing the progressive world view and reaching an enhanced sense social and environmental balance. This research will look at four principal areas: (1) Modernity and the Problem of Language: how does the technical lens define what we call "reality" and its composite, "resistant facts" (see Kuhn, 1964); and how does the cultural context inhibit the language's ability to approach objectivity; (2) Economic vs. Environmental Ethics: what is the nature of the social conditions which contributed to the rise of the technical paradigm, and what are the implications for environmental justice; (3) Time vs. Space: how do the modern conceptions of time and space as measures of efficiency measure up against their non-modern counterparts in informing the quality of life; (4) Nature of vs. Nature for: how can a narrative other than the current modernist one restore us to a relationship in which we are "of" nature, rather than that in which nature is merely a stockroom for our undisciplined use. The intention here is not to sell a particular culture as a panacea. Rather, it is to suggest that considering modernism from the perspective of an alternative paradigm and language, including in this case traditional Jewish ethical and environmental law, provides for a fresher criticism by diminishing the self-referential dilemma inherent in using the language which is the product of a culture for the purposes of critiquing that very same culture.

Environmental Ethics: A Very Short Introduction
Environmental Ethics: A Very Short Introduction

Author: Robin Attfield

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2018-12-06

Total Pages: 144

ISBN-13: 0192517554

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Environmental ethics is a relatively new branch of philosophy, which studies the values and principles involved in combatting environmental problems such as pollution, loss of species and habitats, and climate change. As our environment faces evermore threats from human activities these core issues are becoming increasingly important. In this Very Short Introduction Robin Attfield traces the origins of environmental ethics as a discipline, and considers how it defends the independent value of living creatures, and the need to make decisions informed by the needs and interests of future generations. Exploring the diverse approaches to ethical decisions and judgements, he highlights the importance of making processes of production and consumption sustainable and of addressing human population levels, together with policies for preserving species, sub-species, and their habitats. Along the way Attfield discusses different movements such as Deep Ecology, Social Ecology, the Environmental Justice movement and the Green movement, and also considers the attitudes to the environment of the world's religions, including the approach from the major religions and the contributions of the indigenous religions of Asia, Africa and North America. Analysing the current threat of climate change, and proposals for climate engineering, he demonstrates how responsibility for the environment ultimately lies with us all, from states and corporations to individuals, and emphasises how concerted action is required to manage our environment ethically and sustainably. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Judaism and Ecology
Judaism and Ecology

Author: Hava Tirosh-Samuelson

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 592

ISBN-13:

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This volume intends to contribute to the nascent discourse on Judaism and ecology by clarifying diverse conceptions of nature in Jewish thought and by using the insights of Judaism to formulate a constructive Jewish theology of nature.

The Concept of Environment in Judaism, Christianity and Islam
The Concept of Environment in Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Author: Christoph Böttigheimer

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2023-03-06

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 3110782456

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On the seventh day, God rested and thus completed his creation. Likewise, man should rest on the seventh day and every seven years leave the fields fallow to rest. If you like, a divine economic and environmental programme is encountered here. "Subdue the earth" is not to be misunderstood as a mandate to subjugate and exploit, but on the contrary as a call to preserve God's "very good" creation. Its current explosiveness illustrates precisely this fundamental relationship. Even secular circles now speak of the "integrity of creation" as a matter of course. And in Muslim countries, scholars and activists are preparing to launch a "green Islam", based of course on Quranic principles. At the same time, faith communities and churches with their commitment to nature and to a just world of work are moving into the concrete focus of public attention and are serious players in the current discourse. Reason enough, then, to get to the bottom of the concept of "environment" in the world religions. How do religions position themselves on the ecological question? What are the foundations of their decisions? And can they make a significant contribution to the current problem and to the enquiries of many people?

Religion and the Environment
Religion and the Environment

Author: Gregory Ernest Hitzhusen

Publisher:

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13:

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This study examines the empirical studies within the environmental sociology literature to demonstrate the relevance of western Christian and Jewish ecotheology to environmental studies.