Multicultural and Religious Perspectives on Protecting the Environment, the Biosphere, and Biodiversity: (Routledge Studies in Religion and Environment)

This thought-provoking volume unites bioethics experts from seven major world religions—Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Daoism, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism—alongside secular thinkers to explore environmental protection through the lens of the UNESCO Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights. It foregrounds the power of diverse perspectives in addressing one of humanity's most pressing challenges—the ecological crisis. The contributions provide rich and distinct religious and cultural viewpoints as they confront the anthropological, ethical and social dimensions of this crisis. Showcasing dialogue where traditions and philosophies collide, they offer unique insights into global bioethics and human rights that should inspire new ways of thinking and foster meaningful collaboration in the fight for our planet's future. The book is valuable reading for researchers, scholars and students in bioethics, environmental ethics, religious studies and beyond.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. UNESCO, global bioethics, and the environment 2. Integral Ecology, Natural Order & the Relational Self: Towards A Postsecular Synthesis in a New Ecological Age? 3. Two Sides of the Same Coin: Global Bioethics and Social Teaching of the Church in Convergence for a Sustainable Development Environment PART 1: SECULAR PERSPECTIVES 4. The Principle of Environmental Beneficence: towards an ethical principle for environmentally sustainable medicine 5. Environmentally Sustainable Healthcare: Reflections by a Christian Realist PART 2: MONOTHEISTIC TRADITIONS: ISLAM 6. Islam, Biodiversity and Bioethic 7. A response to Luzita Ball from a Jewish point of view PART 3: MONOTHEISTIC TRADITIONS: CHRISTIANITY 8. An Orthodox Christian Ecological Ethic 9. Bioethics and environmental ethics: a historical perspective on a missed opportunity. A response to Durante from a secular perspective 10. Protestant Christianity and the Environment 11. Protestantism and the Environment: A Buddhist Response PART 4: MONOTHEISTIC TRADITIONS: JUDAISM 12. Jewish Environmental Ethics: A Proposal for Non-Anthropocentrism 13. Abrahamic and Indian Environmental Ethics PART 5: ASIAN TRADITIONS: DAOISM 14. A Chinese Concept of Integral Ecology from a Daoist Perspective 15. Terms of Engagement: A Muslim Reflection on Human Ecology in Response to Kwok and Lai PART 6: ASIAN TRADITIONS: CONFUCIANISM 16. Environmental protection and obligations: A Confucian perspective 17. Catholic Thoughts on a Confucian Perspective on the Environmental Crisis PART 7: ASIAN TRADITIONS: BUDDHISM 18. A Construction of Environmental Ethics from a Buddhist Perspective 19. The Buddhist Principle of Non-harm to Life (Ashima) in Different Cultural Regions: A Confucian Response to Ellen Zhang 20. Buddhist Perspectives on Bioethics: ‘Interbeing,’ ‘Ecodharma,’ and ‘Ecosattva’ 21.Dialogue between Buddhism and Global Bioethics on Ecology PART 8: ASIAN TRADITIONS: HINDUISM 22. Are there norms in the Indian Tradition regarding the Environment? Hinduism as State Religion 23. Modernity, religion, and India: weaving the threads of a complex historical process together 24. Environment, Hinduism and the Words of Wisdom 25. Protecting the Environment, the Biosphere, and Biodiversity: A Response to Prof. Kishore.

About the Author :
Joseph Tham teaches bioethics at Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum (Rome, Italy) and is the former Dean of the School of Bioethics. He is a Fellow of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights. John Lunstroth is a lecturer in the Medicine and Society Program at the University of Houston, USA, and a Fellow of the UNESCO Chair in Bioethics and Human Rights (Rome, Italy). Sameer Advani is the director of the Christianity and Culture Program and Professor of Systematic Theology at Ateneo Pontificio Regina Apostolorum (Rome, Italy).