Cormac Cullinan is a director of South Africa’s oldest environmental law firm, Cullinan & Associates Inc, and founder of EnAct International, a London-based environmental law and policy consultancy. He has litigated, negotiated and advised clients ranging from local businesses to national governments and international organisations; he has drafted legislation, policies and strategies…
Tag: Thomas Berry
Thomas Berry: The Origin, Distinction, and Role of Rights
“When I use the term ‘rights’, I mean the freedom of people to fulfill their destiny, their responsibility, and their basic nature, and by analogy, that other natural entities also have the right to fulfill their role within the Earth community.” Thomas Berry Cultural historian, philosopher, cosmologist, and Earth advocate Thomas Berry is generally considered the father of the current burgeoning movement for…
Jiří Zemánek: Thomas Berry and the "great work"
“The great illusion of the industrial age is the idea that we can develop our human well-being by plundering the planet and destroying its geological and biological structure, including its functioning. From the idea that what is good for humans is also good for the Earth, we must come to the understanding that what is good for the complex community of life on Earth is good for…
Thomas Berry: A Great Work
The image of the mythical creature of the three-legged crow appears in the ancient mythologies of East Asia: in China, Japan and Korea. According to Chinese ideas, it is a bird-sun, inhabiting and symbolizing the sun. In Japan, this mythical creature is known as Yatagarus (Yatagarasu), the forest crow, and is understood as a divine messenger, as the intervention of the will and guidance of heaven; it is a sign of rebirth and rejuvenation. In Japanese…
Thomas Berry: Meadow Beyond the Stream
The essay “The Meadow Beyond the Stream” is the third chapter of Thomas Berry’s book The Great Work – Our Way into the Future, the Czech edition of which under the title Velké dílo – naše cesta do budukončiť is currently being prepared by Malvern Publishing House. Translation by Jiří Zemánek and David Sanetrník. “We need to understand the universe primarily as a celebration. … man can be identified as that being,…
Thomas Berry: University – about transformation education for the ecozoic era
American cultural historian, cosmologist, advocate, and Earth spokesman Thomas Berry (1914-2009) was one of the most far-sighted environmental thinkers of the 20th century. In his book The Great Work – Our Way into Future (1999), he urges us to renew our intimate connection with the Earth and create a new ecologically sensitive civilization based on…
Thomas Berry: Dynamics of the Future
“We do not lack the dynamic forces we need to create the future. We live immersed in a sea of energy beyond all our comprehension. However, this energy is ultimately ours not because we control it, but because we invoke it.” Thomas Berry An excerpt from Thomas Berry’s book The Great Work – Our Journey into the Future (from chapter fifteen, “The Dynamics of the Future”), which we are preparing to publish at Malvern Publishing. Translation…
Thomas Berry: A Viable Man
“The naive assumption that the natural world is there for humans to own and use without restriction for their own benefit cannot be accepted. The Earth belongs to itself and to all members of the earthly community. The Earth is here as a fascinating celebration of life in all its enchanting qualities. Every earthly being participates in this cosmic celebration as the fulfillment of their potential to…
Thomas Berry: Wild and Sacred
“How to participate creatively in the wildness of the world around us is what we must learn. For great visions must arise from the wild depths of the universe and from the wild depths of our own being.” Thomas Berry Here is an excerpt from the book The Great Work – Our Way into Future by cultural historian and cosmologist Thomas Berry (1914-2009),…
Thomas Berry: Twelve Principles for Understanding the Universe and Man's Role in the Cosmic Process
Thomas Berry (1914-2009) was an American cultural historian, religious scholar, cosmologist, leading thinker in the de Chardinian tradition, and one of the most provocative ecological thinkers of the 20th century. He analyzed in depth the nature of the alienation of Western culture and spirituality from the Earth. In order for us to succeed as individuals and as a species, Berry argued, we must understand the story of the universe. Together with cosmologist Brian Swimme, Berry developed a “new story” evolutionary cosmology,…