A Critique of O. P. Dwivedis Satyagraha for Conservation: Awakening the Spirit of Hinduism :: Environment Environmental Papers

A Critique of O. P. Dwivedis Satyagraha for Conservation wakening the Spirit of Hindooism In his article Satyagraha for Conservation Awakening the Spiritof Hinduism, O. P. Dwivedi represents that we must reawaken phantasmal valuesif the world is going to reduce the on-line(prenominal) level of environmentaldegradation. He suggests that spiritual beliefs can serve as a crucialfoundation in helping to gain a self-consciously moral society whichwould put conservation and respect for Gods world first, and relegateindividualism, materialism, and our modern desire to dominate nature in asubordinate place. Dwivedi further argues that religion helps to makehumans aware of the limits of our control. He uses the example of Hindureligious beliefs to explain how reawakening religious beliefs mightcreate a interpolate in attitudes toward nature. Although I agree with Dwivediscontention that religious values can serve to run on environmentalmovements, I would argue that his article pres ents an overly simplisticview of the power of religion. Dwivedi fails to deal out the unceasinglychanging nature of religious traditions. In addition, he does not addressthe fact that India (a predominantly Hindu country) is severely pollutedtoday. I entangle that Dwivedis argument was weakened by his failure to dealwith these issues. As a result, I would like to explore some(prenominal) of the gapsin Dwivedis article. I go away also deal briefly with Guhas article and theneed for a reawakening of religious values to be accompanied by asimultaneous change in social and economic realities. According to Dwivedi, the Hindu religion is virtuoso of many religioustraditions which support ecological preservation and respect for theEarth. He argues that many of Hinduisms basic tenets reflect the idea thathumans are meant to fearfulness for their environment. Although I do not disagreethat this is one interpretation of the Hindu texts, I would suggest thatHinduism (like many religions) can also be presented as encouraging humancontrol over the earth. Yes, many of the texts do support non-violence andcare for the earth but there are also some passages/texts which supportviolence and human control over the earth (examples accommodate TheBhagavad-Gita and passages with the RgVeda). Overall, I would say thatDwivedis argument for the ecological consciousness of Hinduism is the more accurate interpretation of the texts. However, it is crucial to recognizethat there are alternative and fence interpretations.In his article,Dwivedi writes as if incorporating religious values into the secular worldwill inevitably support environmental preservation. Although it ispossible that this could happen, it is also possible that religions couldbe use to argue the other side of the issue.