Sustainable Development : The Spiritual Dimension

The concept of sustainable development was accepted by the world leaders in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The concept was vague and this is natural when an international consensus has to be achieved. It was also based implicity on the dominant "Western" paradigm with its stress on science and technology, its stress on management of technology and the meshing of economics and ecology as the answer to the environmental crisis. Value systems were not included in the concept of sustainable development. The book studies the "Eastern" paradigm based on the concepts and values of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam and suggests that for a truly global ethic the "Western" and "Eastern" paradigms need to be integrated. This could be done through the mediation of modern science.
About Author :
Krishan Saigal, 77, a gold medalist in engineering, MPA from Harvard University and a PhD ion Public Administration, entered the Indian Administrative Service in 1954. He has done various senior assignments in the field, the state headquarters and the Central Secretariat rising to the level of Chief Secretary, Assam. For 10years after that he worked in the UN and international organizations and lectured on environmental issues and how to manage high-tech. He has published several articles of planning, rural development, defence and international relations, sustainable development and Gandhian philosophy. He is the author of books on Policy Making in India, Vedic Management Science and System of the Upanishads and God and Goddesses in Hinduism.
Contents :
Contents Preface 1. Introduction 2. Sustainable Development 3. The Western Paradigm 4. Hinduism: Nature, Society and Economics 5. Buddhist Teaching, Economics and Ecology 6. Islam and Sustainable Development 7. Gandhi: Environment, Economics, Sustainable Development 8. The Oceans, Seas and Coasts 9. Concluding Remarks Bibliography Index