This Precious Human Life: Human Exceptionalism and Altruism in Tibetan Buddhism
Abstract This paper analyzes the idea of “human exceptionalism” from the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism. It argues that, in the Tibetan Buddhist context, many of the negative consequences of human exceptionalism are overshadowed by the concept’s ability to promote an altruistic comportment to the m...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
2021
|
| In: |
Worldviews
Year: 2021, Volume: 25, Issue: 3, Pages: 239-255 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Lamaism
/ World view
/ Anthropocentrism
/ Altruism
/ Environmental ethics
|
| RelBib Classification: | AB Philosophy of religion; criticism of religion; atheism BL Buddhism KBM Asia NBE Anthropology NBK Soteriology NCG Environmental ethics; Creation ethics |
| Further subjects: | B
Axiology
B human exceptionalism B Tibetan Buddhism B Comparative Philosophy B Environmental Ethics |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Abstract This paper analyzes the idea of “human exceptionalism” from the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism. It argues that, in the Tibetan Buddhist context, many of the negative consequences of human exceptionalism are overshadowed by the concept’s ability to promote an altruistic comportment to the more-than-human world when supported by the Buddhist ontology and its broader project of liberating all beings from duhkha. To this end, this paper looks at how Tibetan Buddhist teachers qualify a “precious human life” by conducting a close reading of primary texts before extrapolating some general themes of these selected passages and applying them to our contemporary ecological situation. In doing so, it makes the argument that human exceptionalism is not a problem in and of itself but has a positive or negative effect on the more-than-human world depending on how it is established, maintained, and understood. It also demonstrates how Tibetan Buddhism can be a useful tradition for thinking alongside as we attempt to address global issues concerning the environment and nonhuman animals. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1568-5357 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Worldviews
|
| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15685357-20210802 |