Pathways to Environmental Responsibility

A Qualitative Exploration of the Spiritual Dimension of Nature Experience

Bibliographic Data

ID5833192
AuthorsAntony De Witt (0000-0001-8076-5078, Amsterdam UMC Location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, corresponding author)
Year2013
Volume7
Issue2
Pages154-186
Publication date2013-08-08
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal for the Study of Religion Nature and Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1749-4907 • E-ISSN: 1749-4915
PublisherEquinox Publishing (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1558/jsrnc.v7i2.154
OpenAlexW2333978968
LanguageEN
Citations received16

This study aims to generate understanding into the spiritual dimension of nature experience and its relationship to environmental responsibility, as reported in interviews with nature-lovers/environmentalists and spiritual practitioners in Victoria, Canada. As the interviews demonstrate, seeing nature as imbued with meaning, intrinsic value, and/or the sacred seems to engender an increased sense of environmental responsibility. Simultaneously, a natural, evolutionary, this-worldly spirituality tends to lead to a 'kinship with all life' ethics. The spiritual nature experience was characterized by three key themes labeled presence, interconnectedness, and selfexpansion. Many participants explained that these experiences informed their worldviews, senses of environmental responsibility, and sometimes career choices. The research thereby illuminates three pathways to a sense of environmental responsibility: profound encounters with nature, contemporary spirituality, and their convergence in spiritual nature experiences. Moreover, the results give an insider's perspective into the worldview of contemporary nature spirituality, which is claimed to be of increasing importance for sustainable development

Ethical Responsibility · Value (mathematics · Environmental Philosophy and Ethics · Religion, Ecology, and Ethics · Theological Perspectives and Practices

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