Non-Western environmental wisdom
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Flip to reveal answersThe Tao (Lao Tzu) on nature?
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Question
The Tao (Lao Tzu) on nature?
Answer
There's a natural 'Way' things follow; wisdom is wu wei — working with nature's grain, not forcing it.
Question
Wu wei?
Answer
'Effortless action' — acting with nature's flow like a swimmer going with the current, not thrashing against it.
Question
Ahimsa (Thiruvalluvar)?
Answer
The principle of non-harm to all living things — cause no needless harm, as a daily personal discipline.
Question
Nasr on the crisis?
Answer
It's really a spiritual crisis: we stripped nature of sacred meaning and made it 'mere stuff', then wrecked it.
Question
Moral status vs legal standing?
Answer
Moral status = counting morally in its own right; legal standing = the right to be defended in a court of law.
Question
'Rights of nature' laws?
Answer
Some legal systems give rivers/forests standing so a guardian can sue on their behalf — treating them like persons with interests, not mere property.
Question
How do harmony traditions differ from deep ecology?
Answer
Deep ecology ARGUES nature has intrinsic value; the harmony traditions ASSUME it and ask how to live well with nature.
Question
The shared instinct of these traditions?
Answer
Move WITH life, harm nothing needlessly — respond to nature with harmony, not mastery.
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Full study notes for Non-Western environmental wisdom
Topic 9.2 hub
Philosophy and the environment
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