THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VII, Issue # 202, September 11, 2005
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
FRUITFUL DOMINION: A NEW ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC?
RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP CAN BRING PROSPERITY
TO ALL THE EARTH'S INHABITANTS
By David Rothbard & Craig Rucker
PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, & MANKIND'S PROPER RELATIONSHIP TO NATURE: POLITICAL ENVIRONMENTALISM VERSUS THE
JUDEO-CHRISTIC ETHIC -- ENVIRONMENTALISM AS AN IDEOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY CONTRARY TO THE WILL OF GOD, AS EXPRESSED
IN THE FIRST CHAPTER OF THE BOOK OF GENESIS IN THE HOLY BIBLE -- THE POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS &
DEMANDS OF ENVIRONMENTALISTS AS COUNSEL TO DISOBEY GOD'S COMMAND THAT HUMAN BEINGS HAVE FRUITFUL
DOMINION OVER THE EARTH -- RESPONSIBLE STEWARDSHIP OF THE EARTH'S RESOURCES AS THE ROUTE TO ECONOMIC
PROSPERITY & HUMAN WELL-BEING
FULL STORY:
Consider the following passage from the Holy Bible:
"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over
the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'"
Genesis 1:28 (New King James Version)
When it comes to mankind's relationship to nature, the idea of "dominion," as expressed in the opening chapter of the Book
of Genesis, is, for some people, one of the most objectionable concepts imaginable. For them, human dominion can never
mean anything more than a license to wantonly pollute and pillage the earth.
That is why Professor Lynn White, in his famous article in Science magazine in 1967, largely blamed "orthodox Christian
arrogance toward nature" for our present "ecological crisis." That is why Woodstock-era activist Tom Hayden, in his 1996
book, The Lost Gospel of the Earth, maintained that the anthropocentric values of the traditional Judeo-Christian model
must be rejected, and replaced with a rediscovery of pagan animism that properly values and extols the needs of nature on an
equal footing with those of people.
And that is why practically the entire contemporary environmentalist movement, from "conservation biologists" to many
promoters of "sustainable development," believe that the best thing people can do for nature is to leave it alone, and therefore
the fewer people on earth needing food, clothing, houses, energy and water, the better.
Now to be fair, this perspective is somewhat understandable, given that in past centuries, the idea of subduing the earth and
having dominion over it meant hand-to-hand combat in a struggle to eke out a bare existence, and survive against the plagues,
pests, and back-breaking labor of a harsh and unforgiving natural world. The serfs of Europe, the tribesmen of Brazil, and the
pioneers of America simply didn't have the need, or the luxury, to worry about how their "footprint" might be affecting the
biosystem around them. Back then, "dominion" meant just about everything that its modern-day critics think that it means.
But today, at a time when we can probe cells down to their specific DNA, feed six billion people on land that used to feed only
400 million, fly 435 tons of steel across the sky in the form of a 747, and instantaneously Google-search more than four billion
web pages in the blink of an eye, at least half the people on earth are no longer struggling for survival. And those that are
struggling need not repeat the clear-cutting, strip-mining, soot-bellowing practices of former days, having been liberated from
this necessity by the great technological advances abounding around us.
So the question, at the start of the 21st Century, is this: What principle should now guide our environmental ethic? Can human
dominion over nature ever lead to anything other than hostility, degradation, and unsustainability? Do we need to embrace a
more earth-centric view, if we are to preserve anything of the beauty and health of the planet? In sum, does Genesis
Chapter One still have anything to say to us in the twenty-first century?
Well the answer is yes, but not as it is often understood. If, by "dominion," what is meant is something more akin to "domineer"
-- that is, to tyrannize, or rule over something in a harsh and arrogant way -- then the time for that has passed.
If by dominion, however, we understand it more along the lines of caring and compassionate direction -- of a more mature
leadership that no longer needs to battle it out, hammer and tong, against the forces of nature, but can work in a cooperative way
for the benefit of people and nature alike -- then that is a completely different story.
Indeed, as the global community agonizes to find consensus around a guiding principle that can provide and care for growing
numbers of people, while, at the same time, preserving and enriching the natural world around us, it is precisely what could be
termed "fruitful dominion" that is most needed at this time.
Yes, the Judeo-Christian ethic starts with the premise of dominion. But the first command given in Genesis 1:28 is a
command to "Be fruitful." And, while in its context this refers to physical reproduction, there is a fuller sense of fruitfulness that
likely captures the entire essence of what this kind of dominion is all about.
Productivity. Prosperity. Prolificacy. Not just for people, but for all of the earth. These are just a few of the beneficent ideals
wrapped up in the notion of fruitfulness. They will only be achieved, however, if we recognize and embrace the lofty position
and responsibility of each and every person on the planet.
This was quite well expressed in the Cornwall Declaration on Environmental Stewardship, an ethical statement of belief put forth,
with CFACT's active participation, by an interfaith council of clergy and theologians not long ago.
In recognizing that "the moral necessity of ecological stewardship has become increasingly clear," Cornwall seeks to clear up
three common misunderstandings that can impede a sound environmental ethic.
First, the document notes that "many people mistakenly view humans as principally consumers and polluters, rather than
producers and stewards." This is important because a right understanding allows "growing affluence, technological innovation,
and the application of human and material capital" to improve the condition of all living things.
Second, Cornwall addresses the misconception that "nature knows best," or that "the earth, untouched by human hands is the
ideal." Here, the writers point out that humanity alone is capable of developing resources and strategies that can "unlock the
potential...for all the earth's inhabitants," and therefore embrace beneficial human management of the earth.
Finally, the Cornwall Declaration declares out that, while "some environmental concerns are well founded and serious, others
are without foundation or greatly exaggerated." This is of particular concern in developing nations, where basic issues like
"inadequate sanitation, widespread use of primitive biomass fuels like wood and dung, and primitive agricultural, industrial,
and commercial practices" go largely unaddressed, while more distant and theoretical issues receive the lion's share of funding
and attention.
This third issue is particularly troublesome, not only because efforts to combat exaggerated risks can exacerbate problems of
poverty among those who can afford such efforts the least, but also because they dangerously delay improvements in the
environmental impact of developing nations, which are forced to slog away at nature, much like our ancestors did centuries
ago.
In the end, an earth-centric perspective on environment and development will benefit neither people, nor nature. However, a
principle of "fruitful dominion" will yield a great harvest for all living things.
1985-2005 © Copyright Committee For a Constructive Tomorrow
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
Policy Issues Relating to Energy, Environment,
& Natural Resources
David Rothbard is President, and Craig Rucker is Executive Director, of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), a
public interest organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., and focusing on policy issues relating to the environment, public
health, energy needs, technological progress, and economic growth and development. CFACT maintains that the solutions to our
concerns about the environment and development are to found in political and economic freedom, protection of private property
rights, encouragement of competition, free markets, and technological advancement.
The foregoing article by David Rothbard and Craig Rucker was originally published on www.cfact.org,
the Internet website maintained by the Committee for a Construtive Tomorrow.
Republished with Permission of CFACT
P. O. Box 65722
Washington, D.C. 20035
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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