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.