Colonial Statues and Urban Spaces
In the centre of Shrewsbury, just in front of the historic market hall, is a statue of Robert Clive – more popularly known as Clive of India. The statue stands …
Encountering Conspiracy Theories
Introduction My wife Judith and I were taking a taxi to the airport recently. Somehow the conversation with the driver got on to President Trump, who he thought was a …
Animism and Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Introduction In my last post on Gaia, I briefly discussed Bron Taylor’s concept of dark green religion, which he suggests is: A deep sense of belonging to and connectedness to …
Gaia: Science or Religion?
The Science of Gaia. One of the most influential ideas that informs environmental thinking is James Lovelock’s theory of Gaia. Lovelock suggests that the ‘the entire surface of the Earth, …
Think Like a Mountain: A Land Ethic and Deep Ecology.
Introduction In a previous post I have mentioned three major approaches to understanding the relationship between humans and other beings. These are: Ecocentrism can be defined as: A picture of …
Animal Rights
In this post I will be addressing the issue of whether animals have rights. This issue is primarily about the extent of our ethical responsibilities. It is a companion piece …
Hindu Wayside Shrines
There are three catalysts for this post on Hindu wayside shrines: In this post I will discuss whether or not these wayside shrines can be compared contrasted with temples. India …
Are Hindus Vegetarian?
Introduction In my last post I discussed the environmental and ethical reasons for adopting a vegetarian diet. In this post, I will look at religious reasons for excluding meat from …
Mushroom, Spinach and Goat Cheese Risotto
Ingredients 750 ml boiling water1tbsp vegetarian bouillon powder5 g dried porcini mushrooms 1 medium onion – diced50 g salted butter1 tbs olive oil 150 g chestnut mushrooms – sliced.1 clove …
Vegetarianism, Ethics and the Environment
Personal Introduction In my early 20s I became a vegetarian. There were two interconnected reasons for my decision: curiosity and ethical. CuriosityIn my early 20s I had a friend who …