Nature, God, and humanity : envisioning an ethics of nature / / Richard L. Fern [[electronic resource]]

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910780289403321
• Autore: Fern Richard L.
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Cambridge : , : Cambridge University Press, , 2002
• ISBN: 1-107-12525-1; 0-511-15705-3; 0-511-17627-9; 0-511-32950-4; 9786610419524; 0-511-48768-1; 0-521-81122-8; 1-280-41952-0; 0-511-04511-5
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (xvi, 267 pages) : digital, PDF file(s)
• Disciplina: 179/.1
• Soggetti: Philosophy of nature; Ethics
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. 242-260) and indexes.
• Nota di contenuto: The Ethics of Nature -- Moral concerns -- Posing the question -- Why people matter -- Selves and sentients -- Biotic egalitarianism -- Moral principles -- Living with moral indeterminacy -- Humane holism -- All creatures great and small -- Autopoiesis -- Species and ecosystems -- Envisioning a holistic ethics of nature -- The inherent value of wild nature -- Mother nature -- Humane holism -- Ecological wisdom: a methodological interlude -- Unresolved questions -- The case for animal awareness -- Scientific inquiry -- The end of nature -- Fuzzy science -- Thinking like a mountain -- Faith and reason -- The Wild God -- Religious faith -- Religious naturalism -- Theism -- The reasonableness of faith -- Theological reflection -- Theistic naturalism -- The radical Otherness of God -- A free act -- A constitutive act -- An eschatological act -- A conversational act -- A self-limiting act -- A ; vulnerable act -- A loving act -- A trusting act -- A faithful act -- The Body of Humanity -- Human nature and good -- The body of humanity -- Speaking for God -- Human nature -- Culture-as-nature -- Human good -- Moral respect and normative authority -- Why culture matters to an ethics of nature -- The fellowship of creation -- The big hug -- Human dominion and the fellowship of creation -- Toward a theistic ethics of nature -- Predation in the wild -- Human predation -- The politics of nature.
• Sommario/riassunto: Nature, God and Humanity clarifies the task of forming an ethics of nature, thereby empowering readers to develop their own critical, faith-based ethics. Calling on original, thought-provoking analyses and arguments, Richard L. Fern frames a philosophical ethics of nature, assesses it scientifically, finds support for it in traditional biblical theism, and situates it culturally. Though defending the moral value of beliefs affirming the radical Otherness of God and human uniqueness, this book aims not to compel the adoption of any particular ethic but rather illumine the contribution diverse forms of inquiry make to an ethics of nature. How does philosophy clarify moral conviction? What does science tell us about nature? Why does religious faith matter? Rejecting the illusion of a single, rationally-compelling ethics, Fern answers these questions in a way that fosters both agreement and disagreement, allowing those holding conflicting ethics of nature to work together for the common good.