Abstract:

Over the course of several decades, Thomas Berry developed notions of functional and dysfunctional cosmologies. These are complex concepts containing constellations of ideas and meanings gleaned over a lifetime of experiences and reflection. Berry’s work, since the early 1970s, has been motivated by the assessment and resolution of the ecological crisis, for which a functional cosmology is central. The pre-sent discussion is on Berry’s notion of a functional cosmology, followed by some implications from an ecofeminist perspective. Although he is cited frequently, there has been very little exposition or evaluation of Berry’s proposal; therefore I will describe first some core aspects of his meaning behind a functional cosmology.

Author: Heather Eaton