This book argues that the standard arguments for and against the claim that certain Hindu texts and traditions attribute direct moral standing to animals and plants are unconvincing. It presents careful, extensive, and original interpretations of passages from the Manusmrti(law), the Mahbhrata(literature), and the Yogasktra(philosophy), and argues that these texts attribute direct moral standing to animals and plants for at least three reasons: they are sentient, they are alive, and they possess a range of other relevant attributes and abilities.
This book is of interest to scholars of Hinduism and the environment, religion and the environment, Hindu and/or Buddhist philosophy more broadly, and environmental ethics.
Introduction 1. A Plausible Environmental Ethic 2 Instrumentalist Interpretations 3. Interconnectedness Interpretations 4. Sameness Interpretations 5. The Moral Standing of Animals and Plants in the Manusmrti 6. The Moral Standing of Animals and Plants in the Mahbhrata, Part I: The Burning of the Khndava Forest 7. The Moral Standing of Animals and Plants in the Mahbhrata, Part II: The Dialogue on Vegetarianism and Ahimsin the Anu[sanaparvan 8. The Moral Standing of Animals and Plants in the Yogasktra 9. Conclusion
In this study of environmental ethics in Hinduism, Framarin assesses ways in which legal, epic, and philosophical literatures of India assert that animals and plants merit moral standing. The tools of reason, narrative, and spiritual affectivity combine in this important study to elucidate key methods and approaches to decision-making found in Hinduism even today.
Christopher Key Chapple, Loyola Marymount University, USA
Environmental philosophy is a global matter and hence it is approprialC+
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