Lynn White, part 2
He posited that
these beliefs have led to an indifference towards nature which continues to impact in an
industrial, "post-Christian" world. He concludes that applying more science and
technology to the problem won't help, it is humanity's fundamental ideas about nature that
must change; they must abandon "superior, contemptuous" attitudes that
make them "willing to use it [the earth] for our slightest whim." White suggests adopting
St. Francis of Assisi as a model to imagine a "democracy" of creation
in which all creatures are respected and man's rule over creation is delimited
The debate
White's ideas set off an extended debate about the role of religion in creating and sustaining the West's
destructive attitude towards the exploitation of the natural world. It also galvanized
interest in the relationship between history, nature and the evolution of ideas, thus
stimulating new fields of study like environmental history and ecotheology.
Equally, however,
many saw his argument as a direct attack on Christianity and other commentators, amongst them the 2000
presidential candidate Al Gore, think his analysis of the impact of the
Bible, and especially Genesis is misguided. They argue that Genesis provides man with a model of
"stewardship" rather than dominion, and asks man to take care of the
world's environment.