Compare And Contrast Pope Francis And Ecology

In “Laudato Si” and “Deep Ecology” both Pope Francis and Devall and Sessions discuss what our duties to nature and the environment should be. Pope Francis’ views on throwaway culture, the relationship between humans and animals, and the common good helped me cultivate my view that while humans are higher than other creatures in the environment, these creatures must be respected for their own value. Furthermore, Devall and Sessions discussion of self-realization, biocentric equality, and the world’s intrinsic value further my prospective on the role nature should play in our society. I believe that our society is not environmentally just since we over utilize societies resources and do not fairly allocate them. Pope Francis argues that

They take our relationship with the environment a step further than Pope Francis does as they want us to recognize that we are part of an organic whole. They assert, “For deep ecology, the study of our place in the Earth household includes the study of ourselves as part of the organic whole” (Devall and Sessions 118). This means that we must recognize that we are just one part of a greater whole. To do this we must unite both the human and the non-human

This extends to systems as small as ponds, rivers, valleys, etc. Again I agree with the principal of the point that we should not alter ecosystems but I think they go too far in their claim. I believe that it is okay to remove smaller systems if it is for the betterment of mankind. The article I found on CNN talks about how lion fish have swarmed the east coast and are wiping out entire species. The article questions whether or not we should reduce these fish by eating them. This poses an interesting question to both our authors of whether or not we should sacrifice this fish to benefit the environment as a whole. I think that Pope Francis would promote limiting the population of lion fish and would be a strong proponent of using them as food. The lion fish is presenting a threat to human life as it already causing serious problems to fisherman in Florida. The article states; “In Florida, where lionfishes have massively disrupted the industry” (Monks 5). Due to this disturbance the pope would be okay with limiting their existence but I still do not think that he would promote their extinction since he says that God is the only being that can make that decision. Furthermore, these fish limit all other species access to integral ecology and the common good. This would provide additional reasoning for the Pope to agree with eating these lion