Earth Jurisprudence: Toward Law in Nature's Balance
Year: 2008
Type: preprint
Abstract: In 2008, when the Center for Earth Jurisprudence (CEJ), Sister Patricia Siemen, and the Barry Law Review cosponsored the first symposium on Earth Jurisprudence, we had no idea what the event's reception would be. Outstandingly well, as it turns out; more than 160 persons attended the symposium, Framing an Earth Jurisprudence for a Planet in Peril, at the Barry University Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law in Orlando, Florida. Others in sixteen states and seven countries participated via webcast. Both Barry and St. Thomas universities are commended for their academic bravery in jointly sponsoring the CEJ, a center that is growing into a hub of thought and learning surrounding Earth jurisprudence. These universities are the first institutions of higher learning in the United States to put the weight of their reputations behind our efforts. Earth jurisprudence is an emerging field of law - broader than environmental law, yet closely allied – that draws on many ancient traditions subjugated, in recent centuries, to western and Judeo-Christian legal systems. It is a movement infused with indigenous peoples' reverence for the land, a recognition of a scientific and evolutionary worldview that demonstrates humanity's oneness with all that exists, and for all things living, as well as for things that, in western legal views, are considered inanimate. In keeping also with more recent traditions of deep ecology, Earth jurisprudence is an attempt to live gently with the Earth and all life that depends on it. It is aligned with those aspects of religious traditions that honor the sacredness of creation and perceive the intrinsic value of all that exists, not only the instrumental value of other beings. Changing one's worldview, although critical to repositioning how humans think of themselves in relation to Nature and the laws we fashion, is not a simple process. The problems we face are not insurmountable if we can find a way to join our endeavors, which is where you, the reader, come in. For all our sakes, give the discussions in this issue some thought.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Author: Patricia A. Siemen
Institution: Barry University
Language: English
Topic: Environmental law and policy
Subfield: Law
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2262822247