Avatar and christianity
matthiask
January 14, 2010, 05:03 AM posted in General DiscussionHmm™. Just saw this on the web:
"Nature is no longer a creation to defend, but a divinity to worship," the [Vatican] radio said.
Actually, defending didn't work out the last 2000 years, maybe it's time that we consider nature divine.
What do you guys say. Whats the Chinese view on nature? Defend worthy, protectworthy or just ground to spread?
jedda
dracula at the blood bank?
Joachim
January 20, 2010, 10:10 PMAvatar has an antiauthoritarian message?
simonpettersson
January 14, 2010, 09:42 AMPff, nature's been trying to kill us off for millions of years. Now she's complaining 'cause she's starting to lose? The tables have turned.
WillBuckingham
January 14, 2010, 10:41 AMAs far as I can see, there is no single Chinese view on nature. But one thing that is common to most early Chinese thought, and that doesn't occur so much in the West, is the idea that we are a part of the natural order (rather than somehow standing outside it). I suppose that the ideas of "defending" and "protecting" are both reflections of the idea that we are somehow outside of nature - Sarah Allan's "The Way of Water and the Sprouts of Virtue" is a wonderful book on all this.
As for contemporary Chinese attitudes, this may be a different story, however.
BEBC
I think Iagree - we ARE nature acting on itself, whateverwe do. Nature becoming aware of itself. If we manage to ruin the planet and kill ourselves, that's nature; and if we try to do something about it, that's nature too. It's not possible for any part of nature to be unnatural.
Tal
January 14, 2010, 11:14 AMHumanity's 10,000 year foray into 'civilization' has been a history of overturning the view that we are 'part of nature'. Modern Chinese attitudes are in a way simply an embodiment and summing up of the 'civilized' desire to exploit nature for our comfort and convenience. Such a way of life is inherently unsustainable however, and its demise can only be accelerated by China's industrial development and economic growth.
jedda
January 15, 2010, 04:53 AMmy own thoughts on the matter.
with growing population comes more demand for resources. competition among nations for resouces and wealth places further strain onthe earth throughresource extraction and pollution. perhaps the answeris sharing, and respect for future generations. rather than selfish greed and the pursuit of power for reasons other than altruistic.
there is no escaping material desire and the pursuit of power or to impose one set of ideas over others. nor is their no escaping inherent desires to succeed, in all its defined manifestations.
regarding generalising who loves nature more, this argument is a red herring and detracts from the fact that we derive from nature and have an inherent love of the land,seas, rivers, forests and deserts, as illustrated in poetry, literature, and beliefs.
a consensus is required to sustain what we have left, and better still to help the earth recoverfrom a hectic couple of hundred years of blind industrialisation. industry is not the bogey man.we are no longer blind. those that refuse to acknowledge this fact and continue to play the blame game, rather than learning from others,in order to enhance their own powerare either blind or unscupulous and harbour no good intention.
jedda
January 14, 2010, 05:24 AMdracula at the blood bank?
jedda
January 15, 2010, 11:08 AMgreat post kimik！cheers.
BEBC
January 16, 2010, 04:51 PMI think Iagree - we ARE nature acting on itself, whateverwe do. Nature becoming aware of itself. If we manage to ruin the planet and kill ourselves, that's nature; and if we try to do something about it, that's nature too. It's not possible for any part of nature to be unnatural.
Joachim
January 16, 2010, 08:06 PMOh, come on! Essentialist presumptions a plenty: What is THE CHINESE VIEW? A view held by all Chinese? A majority view? The dominating view in public discourse, in official documents, philosophical debate? In China, by Chinese, by people speaking Chinese, understanding Chinese ...?
What is NATURE? Everything that is not ME (whatever that is)? Everythings out there?
Every human body has more cells that do not contain human DNA, but are some bacteria, virus with a different genome ...
Btw: What does that have to do with Avatar?
tvan
January 20, 2010, 08:51 PMWell, if you're pondering the question in China and wish to see the movie, good luck! According to this Wall Street Journal article, the government is restricting Avatar's release, apparently by banning the 2D/non-Imax version.
One of the reason given was that it criticized rapacious property development. Hmm, I thought of American Indians. I guess we each see it through our own cultural lens.
Joachim
Avatar has an antiauthoritarian message?
changye
January 14, 2010, 05:15 AMI don't know what is the Chinese view on nature, but I know what is the Chinese view on natural resources.