One Planet, One Spirit
Searching for an Ecologically Balanced Spirituality
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/ecot.10.1.66.63262Keywords:
Teilhard, evolution, spirituality, one planet, biosphereAbstract
This special issue of Ecotheology on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin provides a suitable setting for discussing the contemporary search for an ecologically balanced spirituality. From early on in his scientific career, Teilhard was conscious of the emergence of human evolution within the larger setting of cosmic and planetary evolution, and the closely interwoven relationships of the entire web of life were an integral part of his scientific, religious and mystical insights. The emerging spirituality of an unfolding noosphere is intimately connected with the co-evolution and convergence of our biological, mental and social environments. I will examine the important theme of a newly evolving ecological spirituality from four different perspectives: (1) our new consciousness of one planet; (2) the connections between ecology, spirituality, and the world as a whole; (3) the ecological re-visioning of spirituality through recognizing the mutual embeddedness of the biosphere and noosphere; (4) the resources of our global spiritual heritage for an ecologically balanced spirituality.
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