The Noetics of Nature

Environmental Philosophy and the Holy Beauty of the Visible

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Church, Orthodox Churches, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Environmental Science
Cover of the book The Noetics of Nature by Bruce V. Foltz, Fordham University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bruce V. Foltz ISBN: 9780823254668
Publisher: Fordham University Press Publication: November 11, 2013
Imprint: Fordham University Press Language: English
Author: Bruce V. Foltz
ISBN: 9780823254668
Publisher: Fordham University Press
Publication: November 11, 2013
Imprint: Fordham University Press
Language: English

Contemplative or “noetic” knowledge has traditionally been seen as the highest mode of understanding, a view that persists both in many non-Western cultures and in Eastern Christianity, where “theoria physike,” or the illumined understanding of creation that follows the purification of the heart, is seen to provide deeper insights into nature than the discursive rationality modernity has used to dominate and conquer it.

Working from texts in Eastern Orthodox philosophy and theology not widely known in the West, as well as a variety of sources including mystics such as the Sufi Ibn ‘Arabi, poets such as Basho, Traherne, Blake, Hölderlin, and Hopkins, and nature writers such as Muir, Thoreau, and Dillard, The Noetics of Nature challenges both the primacy of the natural sciences in environmental thought and the conventional view, first advanced by Lynn White, Jr., that Christian theology is somehow responsible for the environmental crisis.

Instead, Foltz concludes that the ancient Christian view of creation as iconic—its “holy beauty” manifesting the divine energies and constituting a primal mode of divine revelation—offers the best prospect for the radical reversal that is needed in our relation to the natural environment.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Contemplative or “noetic” knowledge has traditionally been seen as the highest mode of understanding, a view that persists both in many non-Western cultures and in Eastern Christianity, where “theoria physike,” or the illumined understanding of creation that follows the purification of the heart, is seen to provide deeper insights into nature than the discursive rationality modernity has used to dominate and conquer it.

Working from texts in Eastern Orthodox philosophy and theology not widely known in the West, as well as a variety of sources including mystics such as the Sufi Ibn ‘Arabi, poets such as Basho, Traherne, Blake, Hölderlin, and Hopkins, and nature writers such as Muir, Thoreau, and Dillard, The Noetics of Nature challenges both the primacy of the natural sciences in environmental thought and the conventional view, first advanced by Lynn White, Jr., that Christian theology is somehow responsible for the environmental crisis.

Instead, Foltz concludes that the ancient Christian view of creation as iconic—its “holy beauty” manifesting the divine energies and constituting a primal mode of divine revelation—offers the best prospect for the radical reversal that is needed in our relation to the natural environment.

More books from Fordham University Press

Cover of the book Interdependence by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Flashpoints for Asian American Studies by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Forgetting Lot's Wife by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Malicious Objects, Anger Management, and the Question of Modern Literature by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book The End of the World and Other Teachable Moments by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Liberation through Reconciliation by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Iterations of Loss by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book The Death of the Book by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Scandalize My Name by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Sovereignty and Its Other by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Islam and the Challenge of Civilization by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book From a Nickel to a Token by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Renaissance Posthumanism by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Rethinking Media Pluralism by Bruce V. Foltz
Cover of the book Black Lives and Sacred Humanity by Bruce V. Foltz
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy