A Thinking Reed

"Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed" – Blaise Pascal

Ethics

  • Notes on a theocentric ethic of creation, 3

    Heavenly Father, your Holy Spirit gives breath to all living things; renew us by this same Spirit, that we may learn to respect what you have given and care for what you have made, through Jesus Christ our Lord. – Andrew Linzey This prayer from Andrew Linzey nicely encapsulates the themes of a genuine Christian Read more

  • Notes on a theocentric ethic of creation, 2

    In addition to theocentricity and what I’ve called a “qualified” anthropocentrism, any Christian ethic of creation needs to address the issue of the “fallenness” of creation. This is a controversial topic since, while most theologians have no problem with the idea of human fallenness (in some sense), the idea that the non-human creation is somehow Read more

  • Notes on a theocentric ethic of creation, 1

    As a kind of follow up to yesterday’s post, I’ve been thinking a bit more about what a Christian environmental (or better “creation”) ethic might look like that steers between anthropomorphism and misanthropy. I think a key concept here is theocentricity. A theocentric ethic would recognize that human beings, while perhaps the most valuable creature Read more

  • Ethical seriousness without self-absorption

    Hugo has a reflective post on his journey “further up and further in” to the vegan lifestyle and contemplates the importance of gradual change. And here’s an insightful post on how the quest for moral improvement can become ironically self-absorbed. The last point is an important one, I think. In our society, obsessed as it Read more

  • "Don’t kid yourself, Jimmy! If a cow ever got the chance, he’d eat you and everyone you care about!"

    Here are some very bad, yet strangely common, arguments against vegetarianism: 1. “But other animals eat each other!” 2. “We’re at the top of the food chain!” 3. “How do you know plants don’t feel pain?” I’m not saying there aren’t good arguments against it, but you have to wonder why the really bad ones Read more