New Publication from Jennie Ratcliffe

We’re excited to share more information about a new publication from ISSRNC member Dr. Jennie Ratcliffe titled Nothing Lowly in the Universe: An Integral Approach to the Ecological Crisis and published by Crundale Press (2019).

Book Synopsis:

The ecological and climate crisis is, at its heart, a spiritual and moral crisis. Nothing Lowly in the Universe explores the connections between the scientific, technological, economic, cultural, psychological and religious forces driving the crisis and shows how we can transform the ways of thinking and living that got us here.

Our current approaches can, at best, only delay ecological destruction and conflict unless we address the deeper roots of our predicament. Drawing on the Quaker testimonies of integrity, reciprocity, nonviolence, simplicity, and the fundamental equality of the whole earth community, on other wisdom traditions, and on the work of visionaries from Gandhi and Arne Naess to E.F. Schumacher and Thomas Berry, Jennie Ratcliffe explores the spiritual principles of an integrated deep ecology, economy and peace. Grounded in the power of life, love, and the truth of our unity, she shows how they are being put into practice around the world.

Despite the formidable and urgent challenges we face, these principles and practices, far from being utopian, offer attainable paths to long-term sustainability and a more peaceable and just world for the whole commonwealth of life.

Below is a summary of the table of contents. More details available here.

PART I: PREDICAMENT

Ch 1: The State of the Earth
Ch 2: Fixes That Fall Short
Ch 3: Science, Technology, and Religion: Driving Our Predicament?
Ch 4: Violence to Each Other, Violence to the Earth

PART II: PRINCIPLES

Ch 5: Toward a Whole Earth Community: The Spiritual Foundation
Ch 6: Testimonies and Ecology: A Quaker Perspective
Ch 7: Other Religious Responses to the Ecological Crisis
Ch 8: Principles of Deep Ecology, Economy and Peace: An Integral Approach

PART III: PRACTICE

Ch 9: The Practice of Deep Ecology
Ch 10: The Practice of Deep Economy
Ch 11: The Practice of Deep Peace
Afterword: Tipping Point or Turning Point?

Author Bio:

Jennie M. Ratcliffe is an environmental research scientist, Quaker, and activist. She has worked for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Universities of London and North Carolina, and has been active in peace, social and ecological concerns for many years in the Quaker community and beyond.