Hinduism and Environmental Ethics

'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 appropriate that it should draw on a global variety of philosophical traditions. Framarin's new book is a study of Hindu environmental ethics focused on three key Sanskrit texts (Manusm?ti, Mahabharata,

Yogasutra.) The central question addressed is whether the Hindu tradition attributes direct moral standing to plants and animals.

Framarin's original arguments for an affirmative answer and his nuanced criticisms of rival interpretations should be of interest to environmental philosophers everywhere."

Roy W. Perrett (University of Melbourne)

"This is an important new contribution from a scholar who has already established an impressive track record in the field. It takes a sophisticated environmental ethics approach to seminal Hindu texts, breaking new ground, especially on the question of the moral standing of non-human life. A must-read for anyone wishing to understand Hindu attitudes toward the natural world."

Lance Nelson, University of San Diego