The rapid development of economy has enhanced the modern living; on the other hand, it has also unbalanced the ecology and exceedingly damaged our living environment. As a result, people should attach more importance to preserving the ecological environment while employing the resources from it. To make a better future, implementing long-term plans on both economical development and environment preservation has become a great issue.
Within these years, there have been continuous natural and man-made calamities in Taiwan. Instead of sudden happenstance, these calamities such as floods or even land flows have all burst out due to a long-time overload accumulation of damages by human. In a highly developed country, such like Taiwan, comprehensive prevention of calamities should have been highly concerned. However, even though the religion groups in Taiwan have once put forward constructive suggestions to the environmental protection, the actual influence on the society is still limited.
The way of human getting along with the nature has always been an important subject of the environmental ethics. The concept of environmental protection in traditional Chinese culture is always harmonious and cooperative when it comes to the relationship between people and nature. This article is going to discuss how Buddhism and Taoism treat the nature with the view of environmental ethics.
First, the article will demonstrate the previous studies about the environmental ethics of Buddhism and Taoism. Continue to compare these two religions’ theories of environmental ethics with relevant literature, books, journals, current events and essays. Last, more innovative and available standpoints will be put forward and incorporated. The intention is to compose prevalent environmental ethics that conform to the nature, and also to cultivate moral values for people and their daily acts to protect the environment. Hopefully, the entire Taiwanese society will cooperate with the government to practice the environmental ethics thoroughly, and the precious land will therefore be well preserved to the offspring.
