Bogoslovska smotra, Vol. 89 No. 5, 2019.
Original scientific paper
Eco-Values as a Platform of Unity of Profane and Sacral in the Context of Ecological Ethics
Zlatica Plašienková
orcid.org/0000-0003-3201-3722
; Filozofická fakulta, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave, Bratislava, Slovkia
Abstract
This paper builds on basic results of surveys targeted on analyzing the relationship of EU citizens to natural environment. We anticipate that EU citizens get an increasing amount of information about natural environment and that this information comes from diverse sources. Among the most common sources and types of information are publicly available scientific data, activities of ecological clubs and associations, as well as educational activities that are part of all levels of education. This brings to the conclusion that educational activities conducted at the level of university education as part of Ecological Ethics’ curriculum (or as the content of specific Ecological Ethics courses) are highly relevant today. Given their academic nature, these courses have the potential to help students reflect deeply on the content and significance of ecological values. We hold the opinion that ecological values may be understood as a platform of unification of the profane and the sacral in the life of a human as well as the whole society. We point out and interpret the inspirational influence of an important representative of the 20th century intellectual milieu, the French thinker Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. The paper introduces his reflections on the relationship between man, nature and God, on the unity of a »religion of the Earth,« and »religion of Heaven.« This way of thinking has the potential to become a source of a deeper understanding as well as a better realization of ecological values that unite believers with unbelievers.
Keywords
Eco-values; Ecological Ethics; »Religion of the Earth«; »Religion of Heaven«; Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
Hrčak ID:
235136
URI
Publication date:
6.3.2020.
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