Saturday 2 October 2021

(Divine) ‘Nature and Personhood’ ? - A personal reflection on the Christian Aid Annual Lecture 2021

Reh im Klostergarten (Deer in Monastery Garden) by Franz Marc, 1912-13

Distinguished economist Sir Partha Dasgupta gave the address at the first Annual Christian Aid Lecture that took place at St Martin in the Fields on 6th September 2021 which can be viewed at this linkHis lecture set out to show how our disconnection from nature results not only in environmental damage but impoverishes our understanding of the economics of poverty and development. The themes raised in his lecture; stability, regulation and transformation of behaviour through communitarian institutions; the importance of relationship; have obvious parallels in Christian communities, particularly monastic communities of the nature envisaged in the Rule of St Benedict. 

Drawing on case studies from the poorer regions of the world, Partha Dasgupta evidenced how in certain settings, holding habitats as  ‘common property resources’ offers a more stable basis for living with nature, improving the biodiversity of ecosystems and the livelihood of those who depend on them. 

Partha Dasgupta did not advocate the treatment of all ecological assets in such a manner; but encouraged us to recognise the benefits of doing so as a means of better understanding the connection between nature and personhood and to know what is lost when such systems are unable to flourish. Failing to account for such loss of opportunity denudes the effectiveness of policymaking and practice of the economics of poverty and development.

I felt the themes raised in his lecture; stability, regulation and transformation of behaviour through communitarian institutions; the importance of relationship; have obvious parallels in Christian communities, particularly monastic communities of the nature envisaged in the Rule of St Benedict. In holding the language of ‘common property resources’ alongside the image of the religious community (either a monastery or parish), a number of questions are raised about the way those communities facilitate living in a way in which nature (in its fullest sense) and personhood are more consciously embedded. It would be interesting to learn of resources which have explored this connection further. 

Partha Dasgupta began the lecture by contrasting humanity’s relationship with nature at different scales. At the largest scale, our consumption of the world’s “open access resources” (such as the atmosphere and waters which fall outside territorial boundaries) outstrips supply by a ratio of 1.6 (we would need 1.6 worlds to meet humanities current level of demand). 

However at a smaller scale, anthropologists have found that where habitats such as woodlands, lakes, grazing land are held neither privately nor by the state but as ‘common property resources’ by strong communities, these are able to moderate individual and family behaviour through social norms, preventing unsustainable exploitation; a more balanced relationship between nature and personhood.

There is an ecological imperative behind the success of CPR’s, which are prevalent in habitats where division through individual ownership would not offer sustainable yields - unlike fertile arable land in densely populated areas. In the latter, holding resources in common has been shown to fail (in Soviet Russia); Partha Dasgupta explained that the innovation and efficiencies associated individual ownership and market transactions are vital in those contexts. 

In CPRs, communities farm sufficient space within each habitat on a rotation basis to consume the natural resource. Individual transgressions from the agreed strategy are prevented by the threat of exclusion from not only the agricultural enterprise but all other communal ventures. Co-operation is “habit forming”. 


Is it helpful to apply the language of CPR's (Common Property Resources) to church communities? 

Professor Dasgupta’s explanation of those habitats where CPRs are particularly beneficial (and flourish) resonated in terms of the space in which the church exists; which some have described as marginal. His observations about appropriateness of scale invites us to consider whether church congregations or religious orders offer an appropriate basis for modelling - and regulating - life in balanced (environmentally sustainable) communities today. Are we seeing evidence of this in the increasing take-up of ARocha’s eco-church programme? How much more can be done to promote behavioural as well as practical/infrastructure change across church communities which have (like those who manage ecological CPRs) established leadership structures and shared goals?

As Benedict shows in his overview of the different kinds of monks (Chapter 1 of the Rule), sustainability and balance (stability or rootedness to a place) are favoured characteristics. Is the language of the CPR appropriate to use in terms of the parish church (in the CofE)? Spaces which facilitate a relationship between (divine) nature and personhood?


Are church communities the optimum scale to promote behavioural transformation; to bring about a strengthening of the relationship between nature and personhood?

The chapters in Benedict’s Rule on what kind of man the Abbot should be (Chapter 2) and on obedience (Chapter 5) and elsewhere, emphasise that while there is a hierarchical structure, the success of the community relies on obedience between its members as well as to the Abbot and, ultimately, to God. Unlike legislative and political systems at a larger scale, the “system” proposed in The Rule is not an entity to which personal responsibility can be transferred (or blamed when transgressions occur) - because at this scale it is evident that individuals (persons) are the system; just as in the management of CPRs where behavioural norms prevent individual transgression. 

In his lecture, Professor Dasgupta explained, using examples from India and the Himalayas, that where natural resources are held in CPRs there is evidence that poorer families fare better (and ecological diversity improves). In CPRs, transactions are not mediated by market prices (one reason economists have found it hard to attach a value 
to this approach). But there is also evidence that CPRs are open to abuse; richer or more powerful families in a community and men rather than women, seem to benefit disproportionally. 

In Benedict’s Rule, a great deal of thought is given to the distribution of resources, which are held in common but distributed to Brothers ‘each according to his need.’ (Chapter 34). If we view churches, or religious communities as common property resources, who takes on the role of Cellarer in Benedict’s Rule (the individual responsible for the storage and distribution of appropriate resources - Chapter 55)?



Can Individual 'Rules of Life' alone further the relationship between nature and personhood? 

Many aspects of Benedict’s rule governing sanctions for transgressions seem brutal to the present day reader (Chapters 23-30). As Professor Dasgupta explained in his lecture, the basis for maintaining CPRs relies on mutual trust (and mutual obligation) which he described as a “fragile commodity”. Once one transgression takes place, the whole system can come crumbling down. 

Some new monastic communities encourage the adoption of a personal rule of life. Often these must include some element of communal activity and require the adherent to be accountable to an authority figure and the wider community for their obedience. But to what extent does failure to adhere to an individual’s rule of life affect the balance of the whole community (as failure to adhere to the rules of a CPR affects the supply of food or natural resources?) In both a religious and environmental context, individual responsibility cannot be the only answer to questions around the relationship between nature and personhood. Benedict’s Rule explains that at the Last Judgement we will be held to account not only for our individual righteousness but enabling those around us to live according to the Gospel. To what extent do our church/parish communities embody this sense of communal responsibility in terms of our responsibility to live as persons embedded in nature? 



What resources are uniquely available to church communities to nurture communal accountability for the relationship between nature and personhood? 

In Benedict’s Rule the focus on developing humility as the Way of encountering the perfect love of God (Chapter 7) has an etymological connection to the earth. “Earthing” or grounding ourselves is perhaps a more palatable phrase today than Benedict’s exhortation to see ourselves as nothing more than worms. 

It is here that (perhaps uniquely) religious communities can offer that sense of communal, collective responsibility and model the embedded relationship between nature and personhood through prayer, teaching, reflection and action. Benedict’s image of Jacob‘s Ladder, with its twelve rungs to true humility, teaches us that the way to exalt our creator - to climb the ladder - is to have our eyes fixed to the ground; to be at the level of the foot-washer. To be rooted in the earth. 

At the start of his lecture, Professor Dasgupta explained that mobility is a characteristic of “supreme importance” when it comes to natural resources. The wind blows, rivers flow. But the movement of modern life is causing and spreading the effects of our environmental damage across the earth. Recognising the counter cultural movement - the Way - revealed in the Gospels and illustrated so powerfully in Benedict’s Rule can help to earth us and change tack. 

Professor Dasgupta concluded his address by explaining that rediscovering and recognising the value of communitarian institutions (like CPRs) is important if we are to address the continuing erosion of natural capital and strengthen the relationship between nature and personhood. 

Rediscovering the values of Christian communities especially those envisaged in the Rule of St Benedict, might help us to do so in the fullest sense. 

Links

The full transcript of Partha Dasgupta’s address entitled ‘Nature and Personhood’ can be read at this link

 

Image : Reh im Klostergarten (Deer in Monastery Garden) by Franz Marc, 1912-13 

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