Anthropocentrism

The word anthropocentrism comes from the Greek α´∊θρωπoς, anthropos, meaning “human,” and κ∊´υτρoυ, kentron, meaning “of the center.” In practice, anthropocentrism is generally understood as the view that human beings are the central fact on earth.

One ancient and influential text expressing anthropocentrism is in the description of the creation of the human being, in Chapter 1 of Genesis at the beginning of the Bible. This text, in accordance with the most common interpretation, reveals that men and women have an inherent dignity, since they are in the image of God, and superiority over all other creatures on Earth. This superiority is also expressed in several other places in the Bible. However, in the Bible, the human domination on Earth is not absolute but relative to God, the absolute owner of the whole of creation. This is made clear, for instance, in Psalm 104 in which it is declared that God is just in his concern for wild species and their habitats as he is for human beings. These and others biblical texts lead most experts to interpret that humans are called to dominate the Earth as stewards—in a responsible way, not as despotic dominators.

Both Judaism and Christianity have maintained and reinforced these biblical beliefs for centuries. Islam also considers people as a priority over the rest of creation, although it still preaches respect for nature. Other religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, have pantheistic conceptions of the world; there is no a clear difference between God and the cosmos. This gives a divine sense to nature. Some conclude that this vision offers a more sympathetic conception of the human relation to the rest of nature and a kind of spirituality that fosters unity between humans and nonhuman nature. Monotheistic religions encourage a respectful relation between humans and material nature but not a complete unity. But they are also far from a radical dualism between human and nature, since humans are part of nature, but not only so. They have a privileged condition and distinctive moral claims. Nature is fully recognized as a value, but the supreme value is not nature but the human person.