Are human beings superior to or more valuable and important than other species and is that view compatible with a genuine concern for the environment?

Write
Write a 600-850 word essay in response to the following. Be sure to include frequent and explicit analysis and discussion of ideas in the materials while explaining and discussing your own thoughts, ideas, and positions. Submit your paper through the assignment folder in Brightspace on or before the due date.
Introduction
As you will see in the reading materials, some people believe that religion—Christianity in particular—is not necessarily an ally of the environmental movement. This critique maintains that certain religious beliefs and attitudes effectively weaken people’s concern for the environment. For example, the idea that human beings are a special creation set above the rest of nature is seen as encouraging humans to think of the natural world as having secondary value and importance. Or, as another example, the belief that final salvation for the world will arrive only after the earth is destroyed and recreated by God at the second coming of Jesus Christ would seem to undermine efforts to stop or reverse environmental damage caused by human activity. Religious believers, of course, try to show that these criticisms are not correct or at least don’t capture the whole story. Some offer another explanation for human exploitation of the earth: the seemingly insatiable needs and wants of human beings. Perhaps we human beings are destroying our environment not mainly because we hold certain religious beliefs but because we always want more and more. In any case, it seems clear that the overwhelming challenge facing the world today with regard to the environment is how to motivate people and institutions to change behaviors that are damaging the natural world.
Essay Prompt
What, for you, are the values and/or attitudes that explain humanity’s overuse and destruction of the earth and its resources? Are human beings superior to or more valuable and important than other species and is that view compatible with a genuine concern for the environment? Finally, what spiritual or philosophical values/attitudes do you think we need to adopt in order to address the environmental crisis and to have a healthy and appropriate relationship with the natural world?

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