“Historical roots of our ecological crisis” by Lynn White

In 1967, Lynn White, a historian from the University of California, published an article in Science magazine entitled ‘The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis’. In his article, White maintained that because modern science and technology are products of Western culture, and because Western culture has at its roots Christian attitudes and principles, and because Christianity is arrogant toward nature and views nature as having no reason for existence except to serve mankind, then Christianity bears a huge burden of guilt for our current ecological crisis. Lynn White’s article, while published over 30 years ago, is considered in academic circles to be the definitive indictment of Christianity for crimes against nature. And modern conservationists and environmentalists, although they may not remember Lynn White, generally hold the view that Christianity is environmentally unfriendly. http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v15/i1/ecology.asp


Prompt #1: What does White mean when he writes, “neither atavism nor prettification will cope with the ecological crisis of our time”? Briefly describe at least one current example of each approach (more, if you’re able).

Atavism (ăt'əvizəm) , the appearance in an individual of a characteristic not apparent in the preceding generation. At one time, it was believed that such a phenomenon was thought to be a reversion of “throwback” to a hypothetical ancestral prototype. The term is seldom used today since science has shown that such abnormal characteristics can be explained by the inheritance of a pair of recessive genes. I understand the definition but not sure where to locate an example in present time. I think overall, what White is trying to say is that it’s too late to go back in time and try to fix the ecological problems that exist today. Prettification also will not do either. That is akin to putting a band-aid over a dirty wound.Prompt # 2: White comments that “all significant science is Western in style and method, whatever the pigmentation or language of the scientists.” Speculate briefly, about why this statement is true. In the course of your answer, give us a working definition of science and the scientific method.

The statement is true if you were to trace science like it was a family tree. Though there were many marriages and offspring of outside languages and cultures the West, the west infolded these into one big family.
Science-
1 : the state of knowing : knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding2 a : a department of systematized knowledge as an object of study b : something (as a sport or technique) that may be studied or learned like systematized knowledge Scientific Method-
: Principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving the recognition and formulation of a problem, the collection of data through observation and experiment, and the formulation and testing of hypotheses
Prompt #3: Comment on White’s assertion that, “Especially in its Western form, Christianity is the most anthropocentric religion the world has seen.” What does this statement mean? What evidence does White offer in support of this claim? Do you agree with White’s analysis? Why or why not? Finally, list at least three characteristic attitudes of beliefs common to the Judeo-Christian worldview?

Christianity is anthropocentric because it teaches humans to see themselves as the most significant entity of the universe and regard the world in terms of human values and experiences. I think White’s opinion is antiquicated. But, of course this was written in 1967. I think that the world, regardless, has come along way in their attitude towards our environment. From saving the rain forest to stopping extinction we are learning from our past mistakes. Yes, I know not everyone is learning.
1.Human beings did not evolve from non-human primates, but were created in the image of God. Men and women are more than merely very complex and highly evolved apes. They possess physical attributes that are not shared by animals, such as an erect posture, hands with a highly developed opposable thumb that can do work, faces capable of expressing great emotional feelings, and a brain and tongue capable of articulate speech. More importantly, they possess spiritual attributes not shared by animals, such as a moral consciousness, the ability to think abstractly, an understanding of beauty, emotion, and the capacity to know and worship God.
2. Human beings are commanded by God to be fruitful and to populate the earth. Men, women, and children are this world’s greatest resource, not its greatest liability. Estimates of the world’s human carrying capacity, that is, how many people this world can sustainably support, are meaningless unless we answer the question of how many people can be supported at what level of material affluence and habits of consumption. While the six-fold increase in world population over the past two centuries has been alarming, our world is currently undergoing a demographic transition. The United Nations recently estimated that 44% of the world’s population live in countries where the fertility rate has fallen below the replacement rate, and demographers are now predicting that world population will peak within 50 years and then decline, perhaps sharply, with potentially serious consequences.2
3. God entrusted humans to be the earth’s stewards. To subdue the earth and rule it, while not phrased in politically correct speech, is analogous to the process of gardening. For a garden to be a success, the soil must be broken up, seeds planted, the initial seedlings thinned, the young plants watered, weeds pulled, and pests controlled, but in the end there is a harvest. Gardening involves subduing and ruling a small patch of wild nature to yield a benefit useful to people. The Scriptures even tell us that it was God who planted the Garden of Eden as a home for the first man and woman (Genesis 2:8)—as if providing an example for us to follow. On a worldwide scale, subduing and ruling is like managing and administering. Humankind has been given the honor and privilege of managing and administering God’s creation, with the expectation that we will do it responsibly.
Prompt #4: White says that, "Since the roots of our trouble are so largely religious, the remedy must also be essentially religious, whether we call it that or not." Do you agree? If so, describe the kind of religious remedy that will be required. If not, explain why White's proposed remedy is flawed or inadequate. I like the historical analysis that Lynn White did, it was very interesting. However, I feel he lost sight that we are all simply human regardless of our religion and I think that the drive to succeed and prosper is also inherent
I found this at Answers in Genesis and thought I would play devils advocate and give a response from Preston Bristow. This is his religious remedy.
http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v15/i1/ecology.asp
Christian stewardship
Why is it that Christianity does not have this earth-healing effect everywhere it reaches? I propose two reasons, which I lay at the foot of all Christian believers as a challenge to their basic assumptions and thinking about this world and their place in it.
The first challenge is to our almost unqualified embrace of the current economics of growth and consumerism. Traditional capitalism’s emphasis on work and the rewards of honest labor, restrained by Christianity and the Bible’s many admonishments against greed and covetousness, produced great benefits for the good of society. Today, with Christianity relegated to the margins of society, the economics of growth and consumerism are spiralling upward unchecked, driven by relentless advertising and promulgating a worldview based upon dissatisfaction and craving. We are daily bombarded with appeals that we will be happier if we buy more things that we don’t really need, that soon wear out, that bring only fleeting pleasure, and ultimately leave us in greater debt. This drive to earn more so we can get more has resulted in a booming economy, but at a disastrous cost to the human spirit and world ecology.
The second challenge is to our assumption that this world does not matter in the eternal scheme of things. It is interesting to note that the bestselling Christian fiction series of all time is the Left Behind series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, which is about the last days.13 The minds and hearts of Christians are focused less on this life and more on the life to come, and rightly so. Biblical prophecy predicts the destruction of this world and the creation by God of a new heavens and a new earth. If this world and everything in it is headed for destruction, then why should we worry about some ecological degradation along the way?
The answer to these challenges is found in a right understanding of Christian stewardship. Christian stewardship is based on the concept that everything we have was given to us—our health, our emotions, our intellect, our talents, the social and economic benefits into which we have been born, and all we do or earn or make with what God has given us—all ultimately are gifts from God for which we cannot take credit. In fact, because God created everything, He owns everything and they are only on loan to us. We are not owners but caretakers. And as the Biblical parable of the Talents14 tells us, we will be held accountable to God for what we do with the resources He has entrusted to us.

Prompt #5: If you could ask Lynn White one question, what would it be?

Basically, I would like to know if he thought we as one untied Earth were doing any better, especially after he viewed the 1970’s- 1980’s self-destruction of our environment?