Overview
- First comprehensive book on the subject of environmental philosophy in Indian traditions of thought
- Contains exclusive reference to nature in Indian philosophical systems
- Extremely relevant to understanding the current environmental crisis and ethical attitudes to the environment
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures (SCPT, volume 12)
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Table of contents (11 chapters)
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Front Matter
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Back Matter
Keywords
- Anthropocentric view of nature
- Conceptualizations of nature as gendered
- Ecological understandings of nature in Samkhya
- Equivalents of the term ‘nature’ in Indian thought
- History of the idea of nature in western traditions
- Human body typology and geography
- Human-nature interrelationships in Sanskrit literature
- Ideas of wilderness and settlements in the Indian context
- Indian thought on moral action and conservation
- Moral relationship between landscape and people
- Nature as constituted by five elements
- Nature gods in the Vedic tradition
- Nature in Buddhist and Jain philosophy
- Nature in Indian literature
- Nature in performance traditions
- New paradigms of understanding nature
- Oneness of nature and human beings in Buddhism
- Representation of nature and man in the Vedic period
- Sacred landscapes in Indian thought
- Topocentric views of nature
- Worldviews on nature
- Worship, care and ecological ethics
About this book
Working within a framework of environmental philosophy and environmental ethics, this book describes and postulates alternative understandings of nature in Indian traditions of thought, particularly philosophy. The interest in alternative conceptualizations of nature has gained significance after many thinkers pointed out that attitudes to the environment are determined to a large extent by our presuppositions of nature. This book is particularly timely from that perspective.
It begins with a brief description of the concept of nature and a history of the idea of nature in Western thought. This provides readers with a context to the issues around the concept of nature in environmental philosophy, setting a foundation for further discussion about alternate conceptualizations of nature and their significance. In particular, the work covers a wide array of textual and non-textual sources to link and understand nature from classical Indian philosophical perspectives as well as popular understandings in Indian literary texts and cultural practices. Popular issues in environmental philosophy are discussed in detail, such as: What is ‘nature’ in Indian philosophy? How do people perceive nature through landscape and mythological and cultural narratives? In what ways is nature sacred in India?
To make the discussion relevant to contemporary readers, the book includes a section on the ecological and ethical implications of some philosophical concepts and critical perspectives on alternate conceptualizations of nature.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Dr Meera Baindur currently is Faculty at Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities, Manipal University. She has a doctoral degree from Manipal University in the interdisciplinary area of environmental philosophy which she completed through the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bangalore. Earlier, she stayed with village communities in the Himalayas for a few years, working directly on environment and sustainability issues. During this time she also pursued traditional studies in Indian philosophy and yoga. Her research interests include environmental philosophy and environmental humanities: conceptualisation of nature in Indian thought, ecological and environmental ethics. Her recent publications include papers related to the idea of place. She has taught and lectured on traditional Indian philosophy, philosophy of religion, Hinduism, mythology and narratives. Her recent work centres on religions and ecological practice, rituals and cultural geography.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Nature in Indian Philosophy and Cultural Traditions
Authors: Meera Baindur
Series Title: Sophia Studies in Cross-cultural Philosophy of Traditions and Cultures
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-2358-0
Publisher: Springer New Delhi
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and Law, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer India 2015
Hardcover ISBN: 978-81-322-2357-3Published: 02 June 2015
Softcover ISBN: 978-81-322-2999-5Published: 23 October 2016
eBook ISBN: 978-81-322-2358-0Published: 19 May 2015
Series ISSN: 2211-1107
Series E-ISSN: 2211-1115
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 219
Topics: Philosophy of Nature, Cultural Studies