Category:Eco-Spirituality
<addthis />
- Apollo Mission
Noel Preston: On my study wall there hangs a beautiful photograph taken by the crew of Apollo 17 during their space journey to the moon...
Earth our home, the blue planet set against the inky blackness of space. Earth appears as a ball-like, single organism.
We are a privileged generation to have this image and, associated with it, an understanding of the cosmos in its magnificence.
We are also the generation that is responsible for unprecedented damage to Earth‟s life systems – a system that has been almost five billion years in the making.
In our time, the collision between our human story and the Universe story demands some accounting and reconciliation, as well as a revision of the narratives by which we live.
- GreenPolicy360: #GrowingGreen, #GoingGreen
- Planet Citizens Caring for a Living Earth
Generation Green @GreenPolicy360.com / .net / .org
🌎
- Keywords: Eco-spirituality; Eco-ethics; Envirosecurity; New ways of seeing; Earth360; Planet Citizens
SJS / GreenPolicy360 Siterunner: As interconnected Planet Citizens our challenge is to improve our Quality of Life and Secure our Common Future...
Now is time to go beyond old ways of thinking and shape new visions of our communities and our living home -- Planet Earth
🌎
Our Generational Challenge
🌎
See the Big Picture
It's All Connected
GreenPolicy360: We look to Earth360, an Earth point of view, eco-ethics, protecting our 'living earth'. We look to an eco-spirituality, a 'systems view of life', interconnections and new ways of seeing ...
A Systems View of Life
Book Review:
Fritjof Capra is one of the world’s leading thinkers in systems theory, and the author of so many influential books such as The Tao of Physics -- The Web of Life: A New Synthesis of Mind and Matter -- The Turning Point: Science, Society and the Rising Culture -- The Hidden Connections: A Science for Sustainable Living and Learning from Leonardo: Decoding the Notebooks of a Genius.
Fritjof has described The Systems View of Life as “the realisation of a dream” and it has been written with his friend and long-time collaborator Pier Luigi Luisi who is one of the world’s leading authorities on the origin of life and self-organisation of synthetic and natural systems. The result is a text-book which presents, for the first time, a coherent systemic framework which integrates four dimensions of life – biological, cognitive, social and ecological.
It then discusses the profound philosophical, social and political implications of this new paradigm...
If we begin with some basics, this is first and foremost a textbook written in an academic style with numbered sections for easy cross-referencing, and is therefore targeted at undergraduate and post-graduate university students. It will of course also be of interest to researchers, practitioners and enquiring readers who are interested in discovering more about the profound shift in the scientific conception of living systems, the primary insight of which is the move from the machine metaphor of life to one where life is perceived as a network of inseparable relationships.
This primary insight looks quite innocuous in the written word, and it may be that people, in our highly-networked world, may wonder what the fuss is about. The shift becomes more pronounced when understood in terms of autopoiesis, one of the major foundations of the systems view of life, developed by Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela in the 1970s.
In this view, living systems continually recreate themselves by transforming or replacing their components. They go through structural changes while preserving their web-like pattern of organisation. Hence there is both stability and change – a key characteristic of life. Instead of thinking of “mind” we change to a conception of the process of cognition. This has developed into a rich field known as cognitive science which transcends the traditional frameworks of biology, neuroscience, psychology, epistemology etc.
In his recent presentation of The Systems View of Life at Schumacher College last week, Fritjof explained the importance of understanding this new multidisciplinary approach:
- The central insight is the identification of cognition (the process of knowing) with the process of life. Cognition is the activity involved in the self-generation and self-perpetuation of living networks. The interactions of a living organisation with their environment are cognitive actions. Cognition is immanent in matter at all levels of life.
- The brain is not the only structure through which the process of cognition operates, the entire structure of the organism participates in the process of cognition. The first scientific theory which overcomes the Cartesian split of mind and matter which are now seen as two complementary aspects of life which are inseparably connected.
- Physics, together with chemistry, is essential to understand the behaviour of the molecules in living cells, but it is not sufficient to describe their self-organising patterns and processes. At the level of living systems, physics has thus lost its role as the science providing the most fundamental description of reality. This is still not generally recognised today. p15
This book can be seen as a synthesis of all of Fritjof’s previous works into one unifying framework, perhaps notably The Web of Life. It is also an integration of the last couple of decades’ scientific developments. The contribution of Pier Luigo Luisi cannot be underestimated, especially having previously studied the work of Lynn Margulis in this area (see for example his 2006 work The Emergence of Life: From Chemical Origins to Synthetic Biology).
The Systems View of Life is to journey through a study of order and complexity in the living world, understanding the shift from a mechanistic world view where quantification is primary, to understanding the behavioral qualities of complex and chaotic systems, arriving at the understanding the patterns of organisation and processes of living systems. In systems thinking therefore, “organization, structure and process are three different but inseparable perspectives on the phenomenon of life.” The problem though, for many scientists, and also people who are involved in modeling complex systems, is that they do not give these three perspectives equal importance “because of the persistent influence of our Cartesian heritage.”
There is a fourth perspective which is added to these three domains, and that is the domain of meaning. Social networks are “first and foremost networks of communication involving symbolic language, cultural constraints, relationships of power and so on.” In adding this domain, the systems view of life in extended into an analysis of power, social structures, leadership, communities and the concept of the living organisation.
A chapter is dedicated to the inexhaustible topic of the relationship between science, religion and spirituality. While there are frameworks such as the integral theory of Ken Wilber which make claim of being a “theory of everything”, The Systems View of Life takes a measured and contemplative path looking at the areas of agreement, and also disagreement, such as the Buddhist perspective on consciousness whereby consciousness is seen as not emerging from either the brain or matter.
The important insight in this section is the way in which spirituality is defined as something separate from religion, thereby integrating human values into the overall systems approach. This includes the concept of ecoliteracy – “our ability to understand the basic principles of ecology, or principles of sustainability” – not just an intellectual understanding, but the:
... deep ecological awareness of the fundamental interdependence of all phenomena and of the fact that, as individuals and societies, we are embedded in, and dependent upon, the cyclical processes of nature. Since this awareness, ultimately, is grounded in spiritual awareness, it is evident that ecoliteracy has an important spiritual dimension.
Part IV of The Systems View of Life examines the ecological dimension, and this includes a look at how sustainability is defined and taught, the manner in which global problems are interconnected, the fallacy of unlimited economic growth, global finance, as well as offering a number of systemic solutions to the problems of energy, climate change, industrial agriculture and biomimicry and ecodesign. As the authors note, many of these solutions are technically and financially viable, the impediments are political will and the lobbying power of the US fossil-fuel industry...
A unified approach of a 'Systems of View of Life' can contribute greatly to an analysis of the interrelations, especially as it has at a fundamental level both cognition and consciousness, a dimension which is vital...
The Systems View of Life: A Unifying Vision is a book which it is hard to do justice to.
With collaboration across governments, businesses and civil society, we can make the transition to a sustainable future, one which embraces “qualitative growth” enriching humanity and the environment with prosperity and a higher level of conscientiousness, one that truly understand the rich web of life.
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
Green Politics, Eco-Spirituality:
Fritjof Capra -- Is There Room for Spirit in Science?
Charlene Spretnak -- Spiritual Dimension of Green Politics
Alan Hunt Badiner - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/711657.Dharma_Gaia
Thomas Berry - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209222.The_Dream_of_the_Earth
Fritjof Capra - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18554985-the-systems-view-of-life
Barbara Hand Clow - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12030479-awakening-the-planetary-mind
Matthew Fox - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/530454.Creation_Spirituality
Buckminster Fuller - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/316362.Operating_Manual_for_Spaceship_Earth
Thích Nhất Hạnh - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3075841-the-world-we-have
Hazel Henderson - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/209976.Planetary_Citizenship
James Lovelock - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/274234.Gaia_and_the_Theory_of_the_Living_Planet
Joanna Macy - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19237630-greening-of-the-self
Catriona MacGregor - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5945379-partnering-with-nature
John Muir - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17824069-john-muir
Charlene Spretnak - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11552280-relational-reality
David Suzuki - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248755.The_Sacred_Balance
Sarah McFarland Taylor - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/622894.Green_Sisters
Edward O. Wilson - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20665570-the-meaning-of-human-existence
○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
- It's All Connected
http://www.greenpolicy360.net/mw/images/Nov-8-2014_2-01-50_PM_EST.jpg
Stargazer | Photo: Anza-Borrego Wind Caves by Jack Fusco
○
Subcategories
This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total.
E
Pages in category "Eco-Spirituality"
The following 48 pages are in this category, out of 48 total.
E
P
Media in category "Eco-Spirituality"
The following 200 files are in this category, out of 273 total.
(previous page) (next page)- 2001 pic1.jpeg 1,920 × 1,080; 268 KB
- 2001 pic2.jpeg 480 × 270; 28 KB
- 2001 pic3.jpeg 800 × 450; 65 KB
- A 'green Pope', an 'eco-encyclical'.png 446 × 315; 66 KB
- A window view.jpg 620 × 412; 22 KB
- Above Earth .jpg 2,000 × 1,500; 278 KB
- Above.png 500 × 375; 173 KB
- And may gods love be with you.png 752 × 417; 292 KB
- Apollo 11 - 21 July 1969.jpg 750 × 395; 45 KB
- Apollo 8, Life Jan10,1969.png 480 × 635; 515 KB
- Apollo Earth 350x350.jpg 350 × 350; 32 KB
- Apollo m.jpg 322 × 322; 30 KB
- Apollo.jpg 715 × 715; 102 KB
- Astro POV - Mike Massimino - PlanetCitizen.png 800 × 466; 792 KB
- Astronaut Photography of Earth ISS Cupola 2014.png 1,598 × 628; 1.13 MB
- At the Vatican, July21,2015.png 514 × 379; 116 KB
- Aurora from the ISS 2016.png 844 × 434; 150 KB
- Aurora startime.png 552 × 343; 458 KB
- Avatar-eco-mythology.jpg 225 × 200; 14 KB
- Backbone of Night - The Milky Way by Andrew McCarthy 2023.png 796 × 1,722; 2.3 MB
- Be kind.jpg 500 × 327; 47 KB
- Ben Floyd and the Core - 2019.jpg 788 × 523; 94 KB
- Blue Marble photo - Apollo 17.jpg 642 × 605; 129 KB
- Candle for St Francis, patron saint of ecology - 2.png 148 × 255; 51 KB
- Casey Camp-Horinek.jpg 606 × 650; 132 KB
- Celebrating Earth's Beauty 2015.png 1,150 × 716; 1.53 MB
- Christianity green via christian courier.jpg 768 × 512; 216 KB
- Climate Change in a Cloud.jpg 498 × 350; 152 KB
- Climate Summit - Leonardo DiCaprio.png 600 × 663; 521 KB
- Conflict-Resolution.png 500 × 360; 127 KB
- CopernicusEU - Sentinel5P Atmosphere Monitoring Mission - 2.jpg 795 × 1,477; 654 KB
- CopernicusEU - Sentinel5P Atmosphere Monitoring Mission.png 583 × 465; 222 KB
- Corita - Jerry Brown - Rule 7.png 800 × 453; 289 KB
- Corita action.jpg 410 × 342; 42 KB
- Creation-of.jpg 439 × 306; 26 KB
- DalaiLama-July2018.png 617 × 341; 60 KB
- Dark sky by Jack Fusco.jpg 800 × 540; 119 KB
- David-brower-environmental-movement-cover.jpg 530 × 800; 89 KB
- Dreaming the Future by Kenny Ausubel-Bioneers.jpg 194 × 293; 8 KB
- DSCOVR EPIC - July 20 2022.png 532 × 612; 315 KB
- Earth 3D Overview.jpg 1,024 × 768; 190 KB
- Earth AI - Feb 2022.png 482 × 480; 192 KB
- Earth Day memories.png 800 × 210; 381 KB
- Earth Information Center - 2022 Graphic NASA.png 800 × 981; 868 KB
- Earth Information Center from NASA.jpg 800 × 577; 94 KB
- Earth Observing System - fleet of satellites.png 740 × 576; 557 KB
- Earth POV from the ISS Cupola-m.jpg 800 × 480; 71 KB
- Earth System Observatory-1.jpg 580 × 833; 129 KB
- Earth System Observatory-2.jpg 580 × 831; 69 KB
- Earth Viewing from the International Space Station.jpg 496 × 307; 45 KB
- Earth-Day-flag.jpg 600 × 480; 31 KB
- Earth-Day.png 336 × 336; 55 KB
- EARTH-ISLAND-LOGO.png 314 × 148; 12 KB
- EarthDecadel Priorities-2018.jpg 779 × 529; 85 KB
- Earthrise (NASA original Anders photo ).png 665 × 723; 539 KB
- Earthrise - NASA original Anders photo.png 665 × 723; 539 KB
- Earthrise 100 Photographs That Changed the World .jpg 549 × 720; 124 KB
- Earthrise book cover (2008).jpg 709 × 1,070; 401 KB
- Earthrise images - vertical orig - and horizontal.png 800 × 201; 81 KB
- Earthrise Life Magazine January 1969.png 157 × 227; 42 KB
- Earthrise Planetary Awareness.jpg 768 × 992; 103 KB
- Earthrise, the way Anders saw it.jpg 314 × 429; 12 KB
- Earthrise2015 m.png 703 × 449; 346 KB
- Earthrise2015.png 1,004 × 642; 558 KB
- Easter Sunday 2021 - message from Pope Francis.jpg 637 × 714; 165 KB
- Eco-feminism-nature.png 365 × 365; 84 KB
- Ecofeminism.jpg 800 × 131; 13 KB
- Edgar Mitchell 1930-2016.png 620 × 380; 196 KB
- Environmental Security and a Thin Blue Layer around the Home Planet.png 800 × 308; 322 KB
- Environmental Studies-Documerica.png 688 × 963; 522 KB
- Ergo, stars are, we are, older than we thought.png 689 × 663; 448 KB
- European Greens - Baerbock - Candidate for German Chancellorship.jpg 513 × 185; 37 KB
- European Greens EGPCongress Dec 2022.png 800 × 745; 640 KB
- Every Day Is Earth Day.png 590 × 125; 30 KB
- Feast of St Francis.png 273 × 325; 238 KB
- Florida Flyover.jpg 800 × 448; 51 KB
- Florida rights of nature lawsuit - May 2021.jpg 527 × 806; 179 KB
- Francis.jpg 351 × 474; 16 KB
- From Apollo 4.jpg 752 × 599; 27 KB
- From AstroTerry January2015.png 1,009 × 756; 677 KB
- From Laudato Si protecting diversity of life.jpg 800 × 784; 118 KB
- German foreign minister travels to India.png 640 × 178; 115 KB
- Global Catholic Climate Movement - June 2021.jpg 584 × 512; 86 KB
- Golden Spiral from M.png 683 × 600; 487 KB
- Golden spiral, Fibonacci spiral, nature at work.jpg 755 × 883; 160 KB
- Green Politics by Charlene Spretnak and Fritjof Capra.jpg 222 × 346; 21 KB
- Greeneuropeanjournal.eu.jpg 485 × 237; 30 KB
- Greens EU 2024.jpg 480 × 540; 91 KB
- Group on Earth Observations.JPG 546 × 418; 33 KB
- Hand and Leaf w Life Lines.jpg 720 × 900; 41 KB
- Hello.jpg 1,333 × 833; 44 KB
- Hope, Fratelli Tutti - Pope Francis.jpg 800 × 411; 44 KB
- I am a significant... speck of stardust.jpg 605 × 250; 33 KB
- Ikigai 2022.png 445 × 640; 324 KB
- Ikigai.png 581 × 381; 216 KB
- In the smallest creatures god.png 748 × 149; 232 KB
- In the smallest.png 1,024 × 683; 909 KB
- In the UK, US, time to choose the future.jpg 776 × 501; 73 KB
- Integral Ecology-OFM.org.jpg 800 × 274; 41 KB
- ISS over Florida.png 846 × 503; 228 KB
- ISS view 2016.png 800 × 400; 165 KB
- John O'Donohue quote.png 358 × 336; 37 KB
- July 14, 2018 - hello down there.png 524 × 467; 290 KB
- LA remembrance... 2023 - 1987 - 1979.jpg 600 × 800; 178 KB
- La-Ley-de-la-Madre-Tierra.jpg 352 × 500; 60 KB
- LANDSAT - NASA.jpg 622 × 415; 95 KB
- Landsat 9 about to launch.png 420 × 721; 355 KB
- Landsat 9 Launches - 1.jpg 600 × 693; 128 KB
- Landsat 9 Launches - 2.jpg 600 × 737; 250 KB
- Landsat memories.png 535 × 473; 159 KB
- Laudate Deum - To All Peoples of Good Will - On the Climate Crisis.png 767 × 601; 112 KB
- Laudate Deum, Laudato Si - Oct 2023.png 768 × 852; 535 KB
- Laudato Si conf-July 2018.png 590 × 318; 120 KB
- Laudato Si conference-July 2018.png 336 × 424; 267 KB
- Laudato Si Movement Invitation.jpg 633 × 480; 66 KB
- Laudato Si Movement.jpg 781 × 337; 40 KB
- Laudato Si On Care for Our Common Home.png 546 × 577; 108 KB
- LAUDATO SI.jpg 300 × 457; 20 KB
- Launch into Space.jpg 800 × 717; 50 KB
- Le Grand Bleu.png 738 × 1,107; 1.52 MB
- Living Earth.png 441 × 183; 106 KB
- Loss of N American Birds - 1.jpg 800 × 788; 173 KB
- Lunar Orbiter 1 First Earth Moon Image - 1966.png 656 × 805; 383 KB
- Lunar Orbiter 1 image of Planet Earth.png 800 × 551; 269 KB
- Mapping the Earth with Google Earth Outreach.jpg 640 × 648; 109 KB
- Michael E Mann reviews Don't Look Up - Dec 2021.png 796 × 1,639; 1.63 MB
- Milky Way comparison - 1.png 523 × 306; 337 KB
- Milky Way comparison - 2.png 523 × 299; 326 KB
- Milky Way Map.png 768 × 847; 1.04 MB
- Milky Way Night Sky Black Rock Desert Nevada.jpg 731 × 1,024; 365 KB
- MLK - all life is interrelated.png 448 × 324; 397 KB
- MLT Geospace - the Edge.jpg 800 × 600; 22 KB
- Molas Pass, Colorado Photo courtesy of Reg Larkin Sept 2016 800x600.jpg 800 × 600; 123 KB
- Mother Earth-1.png 575 × 800; 98 KB
- Mother Earth.png 1,473 × 2,048; 481 KB
- NASA EPIC DSCOVR - July 6 2015.png 768 × 956; 687 KB
- NASA Launch of Landsat 9 - Sept 27, 2021.jpg 675 × 772; 131 KB
- NASA's continuing vision and mission - as of 2005.png 640 × 414; 153 KB
- Nature is alive Bioneers.png 589 × 598; 539 KB
- Nature Us.png 480 × 557; 626 KB
- Nature.JPG 600 × 570; 142 KB
- Nelson, the oil spill and the student anti-war movement.png 600 × 457; 529 KB
- Nile River and Mideast.jpg 750 × 929; 87 KB
- Oahu sunwave.jpg 480 × 720; 62 KB
- Oh Aurora Borealis.gif 718 × 404; 29.36 MB
- Oh Aurora.gif 800 × 450; 4.67 MB
- Oh Aurora.png 800 × 540; 639 KB
- On the Edge Grand Canyon.jpg 500 × 667; 0 bytes
- Over New Zealand - 2017.png 1,024 × 504; 995 KB
- Over Planet Earth.png 800 × 490; 749 KB
- Over the Himalayas by Wakata Koichi.png 770 × 590; 695 KB
- Overview Effect by Frank White.jpg 470 × 716; 73 KB
- PACE - NASA Everything on Earth Is Connected.png 600 × 264; 70 KB
- PACE - NASA Jan 17 2024.png 600 × 662; 465 KB
- Pachamama.jpg 186 × 186; 20 KB
- Pale Blue Dot - The Book by Carl Sagan 2.jpg 330 × 143; 17 KB
- Pale Blue Dot.jpg 399 × 198; 21 KB
- Pale-blue-dot.jpg 1,680 × 1,050; 248 KB
- Patron Saint of Ecology - St Francis.jpg 482 × 418; 113 KB
- Patron Saint of Ecology.PNG 482 × 534; 412 KB
- Pedernal and Milky Way - Photo by David Lancaster.jpg 800 × 569; 333 KB
- Planet home page-2022.png 800 × 400; 392 KB
- Planetary-Enso s.jpg 212 × 216; 0 bytes
- Planetary-Enso.jpg 852 × 866; 68 KB
- Pope Francis - 2020.jpg 316 × 480; 12 KB
- Pope Francis - Easter 2022.png 614 × 600; 594 KB
- Pope Francis - hospital after surgery.jpg 640 × 426; 65 KB
- Pope Francis and Donald Trump-May24,2017.jpg 480 × 301; 27 KB
- Pope Francis encyclical - Oct 2020 - transform the world.jpg 494 × 836; 130 KB
- Pope Francis in green.jpg 800 × 539; 371 KB
- Pope Francis talks market capitalism - Oct 4 2020.jpg 800 × 579; 108 KB
- Pope Francis urges Radical decisions, Rapid action on Climate.png 600 × 608; 567 KB
- Pope, protecting nature is a moral issue April 2015.jpg 668 × 445; 188 KB
- Pope-Francis green-Photo Jorge Saenz.jpg 900 × 607; 100 KB
- Pope-francis-a common good.jpg 640 × 400; 27 KB
- Pope-francis-climate-change-one complex crisis.jpg 640 × 320; 26 KB
- Pope-francis-climate-change-what kind of world.jpg 640 × 359; 33 KB
- PopeFrancis 2015.jpg 476 × 327; 18 KB
- PopeFrancis June2015.jpg 393 × 258; 40 KB
- Protect Democracy.png 775 × 600; 727 KB
- Protect the Natural World.jpg 800 × 345; 78 KB
- Recent Satellite Imagery of Earth - via Azavea.png 600 × 747; 488 KB
- Relational Reality by Charlene Spretnak.png 772 × 836; 814 KB
- Relational Reality.jpg 267 × 400; 53 KB
- Rho Ophiuchi.png 768 × 891; 1.06 MB
- San and kodama.jpg 400 × 310; 72 KB
- SanAshitaka-2.jpg 357 × 340; 134 KB
- Sante Fe SFI-Templeton.jpg 340 × 170; 13 KB
- Shrinking earth.jpg 762 × 600; 167 KB
- Shrinking the Earth, The Rise and Decline of Natural Abundance.jpg 180 × 274; 10 KB
- Sister Mary Corita circa 1960s.jpg 651 × 717; 105 KB
- Six NASA Astronauts.jpg 800 × 476; 72 KB