Theology, Creation, and Environmental Ethics: From Creatio Ex Nihilo to Terra Nullius

by Whitney Bauman

Overview

Winner of the John Templeton Award for Theological Promise, 2009

This book argues that the Christian doctrine of creatio ex nihilo (creation out of nothing) sets up a support system for a "logic of domination" toward human and earth others. Conceptually inspired by the work of theologian Catherine Keller and feminist philosopher of the environment Val Plumwood, it follows a genealogical method in examining how the concept of creation out of nothing materializes in the world throughout different periods in the history of the Christian West.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781135839871
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/30/2009
Series:	Routledge Studies in Religion
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	248
File size:	414 KB

About the Author

Whitney Bauman is Assistant Professor of Religion and Science at Florida International University. He is the Assistant Editor for the forthcoming The Berkshire Encyclopedia for Sustainability: The Spirit of Sustainability (Berkshire, 2009).

Table of Contents

Introduction  1. A Geneaology of the Christian Colonial Mindset: Ex Nihilo from Rhetorical Origins to Constantinian Christianity  2. Ex Nihilo Identity and Discovering the "Otro Mundo"  3. Descartes, Tabula Rasa, Lockean Property, and Omnipotent Agency  4. The Creation of Ex Nihilo of Terra Nullius Lands: Omnipotent Nations and the Logic of Global Colonization  5. From Epistemologies of Domination to Grounded Thinking  6. Opening Words about God onto Creatio Continua  7. Creatio Continua "All the Way Down": A Postcolonial, Planetary Understanding of Continuing Creation  8. Conclusion: A Brief Thought After