Taylor (2016) explores the sacredness of the surroundings and how they relate to religion. The author achieves this through a historical analysis of nature and human relationships in North America. Considering the diverse views about environmental ethics, the interpretation of the environment as a sacred system is very significant. People holding such opinions argue against the predominant beliefs considering sacred things as transcendent and beyond the physical world. Taylor brings forward North America’s history and how environmental ethics, for a long time, have been grounded on scientific views. These perceptions provide possessive emotional experiences and link people with nature, enabling them to show concern for non-human living things. They also reveal strong ecocentric values and sheer veneration for life. Thus, it is inarguable that people concerned with the environment use religious terms and sacred rhetoric to express their perception of nature and their "kinship and responsibility toward other kinds of life" (Taylor, 2016).
Taylor explicitly argues that the view that sacred beings are transcendent is created by humans to express their concern towards what they revere most. Thus, the “dark green religion” is “deep ecological, biocentric, and ecocentric ” (Taylor, 2016). Consequently, there is respect for all living things as sacred apart from their direct benefits to man. Moreover, he makes it clear that the dark green religion is promoted by researchers, artists, authors, activists, and aquarium and museum supervisors among many others. This has striking implications because, over the years, numerous criticisms have risen against the sacredness of nature while the outlook, communication, and advocacy for nature as sacred have grown intensely. Also, the use of religious and sacred terms when promoting environmental protection is expanding. Further, the profanity of the language used reveals how important nature is to individuals. Thus, the assertions made about the environment are sturdily entrenched in a sacred ground (Taylor, 2016).
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In conclusion, without valuing the environment as sacred, the perceptions made are either delusional or transient. However, history has it that many people recognize the environment as sacred, and there is a strong veneration of life, including non-human organisms. Therefore, it is agreeable that the grounding of environmental ethics as sacred is expected to last.
References
Taylor, B. (2016). The Sacred, Reverence for Life, and Environmental Ethics in America. In S. Gardiner & A. Thompson (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Environmental Ethics. Oxford University Press.
