Buddhism, Naturalism, and Animism (or Loving Our More-Than-Human Kin): Global Philosophy at Work in an Age of Ecological Crisis

Abstract: There is something deeply broken in how modern industrialized societies relate to the natural world. Many ecological theorists, as well as ecologically engaged Buddhists, draw on Buddhist ideas and practices to construct alternative, more wholesome ways of relating to the natural world. This can be understood as a kind of post-comparative global or “fusion” philosophy at work. In this essay, I reflect on fusion philosophy, Buddhism, and the ecological crisis. I argue against the common practice of naturalizing Buddhism, of adapting Buddhism in order to make it conform with specifically modern ideas about the natural world , and advocate for drawing on Buddhist and animist ways of knowing and being to challenge these ideas and help repair our relationship with the more-than-human world. Specifically, I draw on Buddhist meditative practices, phenomenological critique, and recent thinking about the relational and emotional dimensions of knowledge to suggest a path toward a relational, animist epistemology.