There is great diversity in how humans can relate to the vast panoply of beings composing the life, land, air, and water of Earth. This talk presents an integrative vision of different ways of being in the natural world and the different kinds of knowledge that they entail, such as the traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of Indigenous communities, the affective knowledge that comes with religious love and devotion, the scientific knowledge of a biologist or cosmologist, the aesthetic knowledge of someone listening to or composing music, and the imaginal knowledge communicated through storytelling. The inclusion of multiple ways of being and knowing opens cross-cultural horizons for contemplative practice while also facilitating coordinated and cooperative responses to global environmental challenges. 

Sam Mickey, PhD., is a Research Associate for the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology, an Adjunct Professor in the Theology and Religious Studies department at the University of San Francisco, and the Reviews Editor for the journal Worldviews: Global Religions, Culture, and Ecology. He is the author and editor of several books that explore philosophical, religious, and literary perspectives on environmental issues, including Whole Earth Thinking and Planetary Coexistence: Ecological Wisdom at the Intersection of Religion, Ecology, and Philosophy, and his most recent book, edited with Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim, Living Earth Community: Multiple Ways of Being and Knowing.

Contemplating Earth: Multiple Ways of Being and Knowing is part of the free Contemplation by Design Summit, Oct. 25-Nov. 2, 2021.

The full Summit schedule is posted at: http://contemplation.stanford.edu/summit. All events are FREE and online.

After Sept. 1, 2021, REGISTER HERE