Roger S. Gottlieb - Böcker

20th-century Western Marxism emerged, to a great extent, in opposition to `orthodox' Stalinist Marxism, as Western theorists took Marxism and rewrote it in their own terms. This determined the general philosophical orientation of Western Marxism and in turn influenced its interpretation of historical materialism, its models of socialist political practice, and its views on human liberation. This anthology of readings from the most significant post-Leninist Marxist thinkers demonstrates the extent to which that transformation took place. In an illuminating introduction, Roger Gottlieb places the readings in context to provide a clear account of intellectual debates and responses to the historical events that gave rise to the Western Marxist tradition. As such the collection is essential reading for students of 20th-century Marxism. This selection also reflects the diversity and high level of intellectual accomplishment fostered by the movement, from the influential and controversial essays of Karl Lorsch and Georg Lukáks in the early 1920s to the writings of contemporary socialist feminists.

In a time of darkening environmental prospects, frightening religious fundamentalism, and moribund liberalism, the remarkable and historically unprecedented rise of religious environmentalism is a profound source of hope. Theologians are recovering marginalized nature-honoring elements of traditional religions and forging bold new theologies connecting devotion to God and spiritual truth with love for God's creation and care for the Earth. Further, these innovative ideas are giving rise to far-reaching political action. The successes and significance of religious environmentalism are manifest in statements by leaders of virtually all the world's religions, in new and 'green' forms of prayer and ritual, in comprehensive religiously motivated criticisms of modern society's economy, politics, and culture, and in solid contributions to real world environmental struggles. A Greener Faith chronicles the promises of this critically important movement, illuminating its fundamental ideas, describing the work of its leading prophets, and detailing its important contributions to a global environmentalism. Gottlieb shows that when religion engages in environmental action the customary boundaries of "religious issues" in political life are decisively broken. Asserting that environmental degradation is not only a health danger, economic catastrophe, and aesthetic blight, but also sacrilegious, sinful and an offense against God catapults religions directly into questions of social policy, economic and moral priorities, and the overall direction of secular society. Gottlieb contends that a religious perspective applied to the Earth provides the environmental movement with a uniquely appropriate way to voice its passion and hope. In a striking new fusion, the religious presence in environmental politics blurs distinctions between religion and politics, theology and social activism. Equally important, it helps develop a world-making political agenda that transcends the limited interests of one or another social special interest group. Environmentalism, Gottlieb shows, is not simply interest group politics applied to forests and toxic incinerators. Rather, the movement offers a comprehensive vision of what human beings are and how we should treat each other and the rest of life.

In a time of darkening environmental prospects, frightening religious fundamentalism, and moribund liberalism, the remarkable and historically unprecedented rise of religious environmentalism is a profound source of hope. In A Greener Faith , Roger S. Gottlieb chronicles the promises of this critically important movement, illuminating its principal ideas, leading personalities, and ways of connecting care for the earth with justice for human beings. He also shows how religious environmentalism breaks the customary boundaries of "religious issues" in political life. Asserting that environmental degradation is sacrilegious, sinful, and an offense against God catapults religions directly into questions of social policy, economic and moral priorities, and the overall direction of secular society. Gottlieb contends that a spiritual perspective applied to the Earth provides the environmental movement with a uniquely appropriate way to voice its dream of a sustainable and just world. Equally important, it helps develop a world-making political agenda that far exceeds interest group politics applied to forests and toxic incinerators. Rather, religious environmentalism offers an all-inclusive vision of what human beings are and how we should treat each other and the rest of life.Gottlieb deftly analyzes the growing synthesis of the movement's religious, social, and political aspects, as well as the challenges it faces in consumerism, fundamentalism, and globalization. Highly engaging and passionately argued, this book is an indispensable resource for people of faith, environmentalists, scholars, and anyone who is concerned about our planet's future.

The concept of spirituality permeates modern culture: from academic book series on ''Classics of Western Spirituality'' to self-help manuals, from the use of Buddhist mindfulness meditation (typically detached from Buddhist religious teachings) in medical treatment to "nature spirituality," from spiritually oriented peace activists to spiritually oriented new age music. Spirituality has become a common part of our cultural vocabulary. It is not only an important concept in its own right but plays productive and significant roles in the realms of psychology, ecology, medicine, and even politics. Millions call themselves "spiritual but not religious," academics describe much of contemporary religious life in the U.S. as focused on a spiritually oriented "seeking," and a quick search on Amazon.com turns up hundreds of books whose titles take the general form of The Spirituality of X or Spirituality and Y. At the same time, the concept is used in widely conflicting, often confusing ways. Most people think they know what it is when they see it, but attempts to define spirituality or understand it coherently are frequently limited, distorted, or ahistorical. Roger Gottlieb provides a lucid and accessible overview of what spirituality is, enabling readers to gain a clear-eyed understanding of the concept, its manifold connections to other aspects of personal and social life, its role as a positive psychological and social phenomenon, and some of the risks that attend it. The book combines thoughtful analysis with a generally sympathetic perspective in which spirituality is viewed as a potentially beneficial form of personal identity and practice, and a possible antidote to a number of the psychic ailments and social pathologies of contemporary society.

The concept of spirituality permeates modern culture: from academic book series on ''Classics of Western Spirituality'' to self-help manuals, from the use of Buddhist mindfulness meditation (typically detached from Buddhist religious teachings) in medical treatment to "nature spirituality," from spiritually oriented peace activists to spiritually oriented new age music. Spirituality has become a common part of our cultural vocabulary. It is not only an important concept in its own right but plays productive and significant roles in the realms of psychology, ecology, medicine, and even politics. Millions call themselves "spiritual but not religious," academics describe much of contemporary religious life in the U.S. as focused on a spiritually oriented "seeking," and a quick search on Amazon.com turns up hundreds of books whose titles take the general form of The Spirituality of X or Spirituality and Y. At the same time, the concept is used in widely conflicting, often confusing ways. Most people think they know what it is when they see it, but attempts to define spirituality or understand it coherently are frequently limited, distorted, or ahistorical. Roger Gottlieb provides a lucid and accessible overview of what spirituality is, enabling readers to gain a clear-eyed understanding of the concept, its manifold connections to other aspects of personal and social life, its role as a positive psychological and social phenomenon, and some of the risks that attend it. The book combines thoughtful analysis with a generally sympathetic perspective in which spirituality is viewed as a potentially beneficial form of personal identity and practice, and a possible antidote to a number of the psychic ailments and social pathologies of contemporary society.

In the face of the environmental crisis, believers from all the world's faith traditions have come to recognize that religion's relation to ecology is of critical importance. Vital new theologies, profound criticisms of the past, and ecologically oriented visions of God, Enlightenment, and human beings have arisen. Religious morality has expanded to include human relations to other species and ecosystems, and religious practice has come to include rituals that express our grief and remorse as well as celebrate what is left. Religious leaders and institutions have committed themselves to a new green gospel, and in countless places across the globe people engage in environmental activism for religious reasons.This book serves as the definitive scholarly overview of these exciting new developments. Part I explores traditional religious concepts of and attitudes toward nature and how these have been changed by the environmental crisis. Part II analyzes conceptual issues that transcend individual traditions. Part III examines religious participation in environmental politics.With essays by the leading scholars in the field, many of whom have themselves been instrumental in the rise of religious environmentalism, this Handbook will be invaluable to anyone interested in religion, environmentalism, and the future of our planet.

Did Martin Luther King's spiritual understanding of political struggle truly help the Civil Rights movement? Can breast cancer victims incorporate both spiritual wisdom and political action in their fight for life? Confronting questions that challenge the foundations of both politics and spirituality, Roger S. Gottlieb presents a brave new account

In the last two decades a new form of religiously motivated social action and a virtually new field of academic study—each based in recognition of the connections between religion and humanity’s treatment of the environment—have developed. Interactions between religion and environmental concern have been manifest in the explosive growth of ecotheological writings, institutional commitment by organized religions, and environmental activism explicitly oriented to religious ideals. Clergy throughout the world in virtually every denomination have received word from leaders of their religion that the environment—no less than sexuality, poverty, or war and peace—is now a basic and compelling religious matter.Out of this confrontation have been born vital new theologies based in the recovery of marginalized elements of tradition, profound criticisms of the past, and ecologically oriented visions of God, the Sacred, the Earth, and human beings. Theologians from every religious tradition—along with dozens of non-denominational spiritual writers—have confronted world religions’ past attitudes towards nature. In the realm of institutional commitment, public statements and actions by organized religions have grown dramatically. In the context of political action, throughout the U.S. and the world religiously oriented groups take part in environmentally oriented political action: from lobbying and consciousness raising to activist demonstrations and civil disobedience.This collection serves as a comprehensive introduction, overview, and in-depth account of these exciting new developments. The four volumes cover virtually every aspect of the field—from theological change and institutional commitment to innovation in liturgy, from new ecumenical connections among different religions and between religion, science and environmental movements, from religious participation in environmental politics to an account of the global social and political contexts in which religious environmentalism has unfolded.

Is Marxism really dead? Or can it play a positive role in creating a just and fulfilling society? This original study responds to these questions with a passionate and penetrating assessment of Marxism from its origins to the present day.

The Ecological Community offers important and previously unexplored responses to the environmental crisis. The premise of this volume, writes editor Roger Gottlieb, is that the environmental crisis challenges the presuppositions of--and creates a rich field of creative work in--philosophy, politics, and moral theory. These eighteen essays are fresh and compelling interrogations of the existing wisdom in a host of areas, including liberalism, communicative ethics, rights theory and environmental philosophy itself. Contributors : Avner de-Shalit, Gus diZerega, Roger S. Gottlieb, Eric Katz, Robert Kirkman, Andrew Light, Brian Luke, David Macauley, Mark A. Michael, Carl Mitcham, John O'Neill, Holmes Rolston III, David Schlosberg, William Throop, Steven Vogel, Mark I. Wallace, Peter S. Wenz, Michael E. Zimmerman.

Updated with nearly forty new selections to reflect the tremendous growth and transformation of scholarly, theological, and activist religious environmentalism, the second edition of This Sacred Earth is an unparalleled resource for the study of religion's complex relationship to the environment.

Updated with nearly forty new selections to reflect the tremendous growth and transformation of scholarly, theological, and activist religious environmentalism, the second edition of This Sacred Earth is an unparalleled resource for the study of religion's complex relationship to the environment.

This sweeping new anthology shows how religion has joined with and learned from movements for social justice, peace, and ecological wisdom. Liberating Faith surveys the entire range of religious social activism: from liberation theology and feminist religion to ecotheology and peace activism. It includes theology, social critique, position papers, denominational statements, manifestos, rituals, prayers, biographical accounts, and journalistic descriptions of real world struggles, beginning with a survey of ethical teachings from traditional sources. Following sections deal with 'precursor' voices before the 20th century, Gandhi's exemplary vision, overviews of the connections between religion, society, and political movements, and impassioned accounts of particular issues. Containing voices from a multitude of traditions, national settings, and perspectives. Liberating Faith includes writings by Latin American liberation theologians and radical American religious activists, statements on social justice by the Pope and environmental morality by the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch, religious critiques of collective and interpersonal violence, passionate denunciations of racism and quiet eloquence which demands that we all stand up for morality in dark times. Among the more than eighty authors are Thomas Berry, Thich Nhat Hanh, Abraham Heschel, Martin Luther King, Winona Laduke, Michael Lerner, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Judith Plaskow, Rosemary Ruether, and Vandana Shiva. An invaluable teaching resource and the definitive introduction to global religious social activism, this book offers a visionary alternative to both repressive fundamentalism and spiritless secularism.

With clarity, humor, detailed scholarship, and passionate eloquence, Roger S. Gottlieb uses a unique range of resources to portray a spiritual path keyed to caring for the earth.This personal and powerful book speaks to anyone who has ever wondered how to be happy when there is so much suffering in the world-anyone who seeks a peaceful heart in a dark time. Its unique combination of spiritual insight, political commitment, and environmental knowledge reveals the deep ties between spiritual aspiration and ecological activism; and makes a critical contribution to both environmentalism and religious studies.Gottlieb begins by describing the gifts which spirituality offers, and how those gifts cannot be realized if we flee into avoidance or denial in the face of ecological peril. In a startling and compelling comparison between the Holocaust and the environmental crisis, he shows how a psychic dependence on "work" can lead us-even against our wills-to take part in genocide or ecocide. Addressing questions about our obligations to the earth, he deepens our understanding of what it is to live an "environmentally correct" life and what we really mean by "nature." Finally, by connecting personal fulfillment to social activism, he shows how a truly peaceful heart is only possible if we devote some of our energies to resisting the forces of destruction.

Parallels and contrasts values from world religions and those proposed by the environmental perspective of deep ecology.Bringing together thirteen new essays on the important relationship between traditional world spirituality and the contemporary environmental perspective of deep ecology, this landmark book explores parallels and contrasts between religious values and those proposed by deep ecology. In examining how deep ecologists and the various religious traditions can both learn from and critique one another, the following traditions are considered: indigenous cultures, Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Judaism, Catholicism, Islam, Protestantism, Christian ecofeminism, and New Age spirituality.

Did Martin Luther King's spiritual understanding of political struggle truly help the Civil Rights movement? Can breast cancer victims incorporate both spiritual wisdom and political action in their fight for life? Confronting questions that challenge the foundations of both politics and spirituality, Roger S. Gottlieb presents a brave new account of how religious ethics and progressive movements share a common vision of a transformed world. In doing so, he offers a bold and eloquent affirmation: that authentic religion requires an activist, transforming presence in the political world, and that the moral and psychological insights of religion are indispensable resources in political struggles for democracy, human rights and ecological sanity. With original and compelling interpretations of Martin Luther King and the civil rights struggle, feminism, disability rights, the global environmental movement, and the fight for breast cancer, Joining Hands will alter the way spiritual seekers, political activists, and society as a whole think about the political role of religion and the spiritual component of politics.

The environmental crisis creates an unprecedented moral predicament: how to be a good person when our collective and individual actions contribute to immeasurable devastation and suffering. Drawing on an extraordinary range of sources from philosophy, political theory, global religion, ecology, and contemporary spirituality, Roger S. Gottlieb explores the ethical ambiguities, challenges, and opportunities we face. Engagingly written, intellectually rigorous, and forcefully argued, this volume investigates the moral value of nature; the possibility of an 'ecological' democracy; how we treat animals; the demands and limits of individual responsibility and collective political change; contemporary ambiguities of rationality; and how to face environmental despair. In Morality and the Environmental Crisis, Gottlieb combines compassion for the difficulties of contemporary moral life with an unflinching ethical commitment to awareness and action.

Is Marxism really dead? Or can it play a positive role in creating a just and fulfilling society? This original study responds to these questions with a passionate and penetrating assessment of Marxism from its origins to the present day.

The environmental crisis creates an unprecedented moral predicament: how to be a good person when our collective and individual actions contribute to immeasurable devastation and suffering. Drawing on an extraordinary range of sources from philosophy, political theory, global religion, ecology, and contemporary spirituality, Roger S. Gottlieb explores the ethical ambiguities, challenges, and opportunities we face. Engagingly written, intellectually rigorous, and forcefully argued, this volume investigates the moral value of nature; the possibility of an 'ecological' democracy; how we treat animals; the demands and limits of individual responsibility and collective political change; contemporary ambiguities of rationality; and how to face environmental despair. In Morality and the Environmental Crisis, Gottlieb combines compassion for the difficulties of contemporary moral life with an unflinching ethical commitment to awareness and action.

Roger S. Gottlieb is internationally known for his groundbreaking studies of religious environmentalism, passionate account of spirituality in an age of environmental crisis, and enlightening vision of the role of religion in a democratic society. Political and Spiritual brings together for the first time his most powerful essays on these and related themes.The book’s wealth of topics includes spiritual deep ecology, ethical theory, animal rights, the Holocaust, the environmental crisis, and the experience of disability—as well as new essays on the human meaning of technology, facing death, and a fascinating intellectual autobiography. As a whole, Political and Spiritual reveals Gottlieb’s unique ability to connect our collective struggles for a just, rational, and caring society with our personal strivings for contentment, wisdom, and compassion.

Roger S. Gottlieb is internationally known for his groundbreaking studies of religious environmentalism, passionate account of spirituality in an age of environmental crisis, and enlightening vision of the role of religion in a democratic society. Political and Spiritual brings together for the first time his most powerful essays on these and related themes.The book’s wealth of topics includes spiritual deep ecology, ethical theory, animal rights, the Holocaust, the environmental crisis, and the experience of disability—as well as new essays on the human meaning of technology, facing death, and a fascinating intellectual autobiography. As a whole, Political and Spiritual reveals Gottlieb’s unique ability to connect our collective struggles for a just, rational, and caring society with our personal strivings for contentment, wisdom, and compassion.

Our ecological dilemmas provoke powerful emotions and deeply contested views. How should we think about them? And how can we live together, or even talk together, when we cannot listen to people who think differently? In a lively and at times very funny book, Roger S. Gottlieb (A Greener Faith, This Sacred Earth, A Spirituality of Resistance) explores these questions in a collection of distinct but related philosophical short stories. Fictional characters with personalities, individual histories, and strong opinions wrestle with the meaning of life, the value of nature, animal rights, the roles of science and religion in environmentalism, and political choices facing environmental activists--as well as their own anger, fear, despair, and close-mindedness. Encountering forcefully articulated positions and engaging characters, readers will be moved to reconsider their own beliefs--and to examine personal barriers to truly listening to those ""on the other side.

For millennia nature has provided spiritual experiences of wonder, gratitude, and peace. Now nature is being burned, poisoned, and rendered extinct. This book asks: Can nature still provide spiritual inspiration? Drawing on decades of original work in environmental ethics, religious environmentalism, contemporary spirituality, and fiction, Roger S. Gottlieb explores how ecological crisis reshapes spiritual life. What we trusted would nourish us and our descendants forever is diminished and threatened. We seek a refuge from the cruelties and madness of human culture and find bird species disappearing and oceans filling with plastic. Gottlieb begins by clarifying what spirituality is and why nature has played a central role in it for religious believers and non-believers alike. He then examines the environmental crisis as a civilizational rupture that transforms, hope, grief, meaning, and moral responsibility.Nature spirituality, he suggests, must adapt to ecological loss and vulnerability. Difficult as it may be, we can nourish a spirituality in which grief coexists with gratitude, compassion with moral outrage, and acceptance with active solidarity and love for all of life. The book concludes with a fictional narrative illustrating how each of us might face overwhelming environmental realities with a transformed spiritual vision.