Greetings All. I appreciate this list also and would like to introduce
myself and make a comment.
I teach a senior seminar in ecophilosophy (on ecofeminism, deep ecology, etc.)
along with courses on philosophy of technology, energy issues, agricultural
controvery at the Lyman Briggs School, Michigan State University; and also
a course in Chinese Philosophy in the Philosophy Department, which prompts
this comment.
For those of you wrestling with the "What is/isn't spirituality?" question,
you might find it fruitful to consider the importance of the immanence/
transcendence distinction in sorting out possible meanings. My deep suspicion
is that many/most of the hangups being expressed here about "spirituality"
derive from the near entrapment of Western perspectives within an assumption
that there are such things as transcendent things, causes, reasons, etc.
For a deep cultural contrast you might consider the ancient Chinese phil-
osophical tradition. I recommend starting with David Hall and Bruce Ames,
Thinking Through Confucius. My perception of socalled "spiritual"
ecofeminism is that it is seeking to recreate a spirituality of immanence
within the Western context (or "create" if you think we never had one).
Phil Shepard
Lyman Briggs School, Michigan State University
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
