2015_11_30 TEO News: Jordi Puig: We need a green conversion

The School of Theology of the University of Navarra brought together last Thursday, November 26, a biologist, a theologian and a philosopher to talk about the encyclical Laudato si' of Pope Francis. As Professor Tomás Trigo said at presentation, "Biology, Philosophy and Theology are three perspectives from which to shed light on the ecological problem". The first law of ecology: "everything is related to everything" resonated in each of the presentations. Jordi Puig, PhD in Biology from the Polytechnic University of Madrid, where he developed and defended his doctoral thesis , explained that "ecology is seen by the Pope as an important element in a 'revolution' of the behavior we need.

Human beings depend on the earth and through it relate to others. "The error of seeing ourselves as disconnected from the ecosystem and from others," the professor continued, "is fueled by forgetting the value given to subject by thinking of it as created by God. The division of knowledge - and the diminishing of the experience of the natural in our lives - leads us to understand ourselves as 'abstract' with respect to what we really depend on and to which we owe ourselves: the natural environment". And he added: "Culture, the artificial, the built space, the city... gradually 'set aside' the presence or rank of nature in human life. And so, believers or not, we move away from being able to find Life more manifest in the landscapes of living".

For him, Laudato si' "demands, with new coherence, the reconnection of respect for 'environmental nature' with respect for 'human nature'. We are nature, not just culture, says the encyclical, quoting Benedict XVI". To this end, the biologist wondered if it is possible to quell the force of consumerist idolatry "Only God knows. The greatest value of the natural is only perceived by contemplating it. The Education, which has a role core topic, has to teach, as far as it can, to respect", he concluded.

For his part, Gregorio Guitián, professor of the School of Theology, whose field of research is social morality, began his exhibition with the declarations of President Obama when Laudato si' was published: "Francis has spoken to the conscience of all of us and we must all examine ourselves if there are ways to do better". He explained that "creation is a design of God who wants to call into existence a multitude of creatures".

But man must be understood as a steward manager; for this he also appealed to the need to change the lifestyle "with sacrifice, moderation and temperance. We have a grave duty to leave the earth in such a way that those who come after us can continue to cultivate it". To do this, it is necessary to discover the moral good that lies behind the care of creation. Care for the environment is one more measure of Christian identity and he pointed out some examples that quotation Pope Francis gave in the encyclical: the moderate use of water, daily decisions to use less heating, turn off unnecessary lights, share cars, use public transport or avoid the exploitation of non-renewable resources. Professor Guitián ended his exhibition talking about the moral character of purchasing issues, as well as the importance of analyzing the lifestyle that causes the advertising of some companies. "You cannot be a good Christian and disregard nature," he concluded.

The Academic workshop also counted on the intervention of Mariano Crespo, philosopher and researcher of Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra, who spoke of the shared responsibility before the common good. "Being a person is discovered in communion and the sense of community is not something merely factual. We perceive ourselves as members of a community. Moral persons participate in a cosmos where we are in solidarity with one another".

colloquium

In the subsequent colloquium and as a result of the questions or reflections of the more than one hundred participants in the workshop, Jordi Puig insisted that to combat consumption it is better to surround ourselves, in our free time, with preferably natural environments. We should consider how to carry out certain processes without causing environmental damage. But "without sacrifice there is no solution. It must be done and, if possible, it should not be forced". Not consuming in a consumerist society is a sacrifice. "Living with others in nature is a way to stop consuming".

To purpose of a question about how to educate, and making it clear that it is possible that no one has "the" answer, Professor Puig indicated that "the Education has to take much more care of two aspects: contemplation (which discovers the greatest value of what is contemplated) and commitment (not to stand idly by: to do what is possible). And perhaps this is where "the Schools of Sciences" should start. It is necessary to make the connection between what attracted us by amazement and what we know".

Gregorio Guitián encouraged to "accept that the world must reduce its economic welfare for others to contemplate it and give way to distributive justice". And for researcher Mariano Crespo the core topic is in collective solidarity and responsibility, which in turn are the basis of applied ethics. This attitude is "not only for the present, but also for the future".