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John B. Cobb, Jr. (born February 9, 1925) is an American theologian, philosopher, and environmentalist. Gary Dorrien has described Cobb as one of the two most important North American theologians of the twentieth century (the other being Rosemary Radford Ruether).〔Gary Dorrien, “The Lure and Necessity of Process Theology,” ''CrossCurrents'' 58 (2008): 333.〕 Cobb is often regarded as the preeminent scholar in the field of process philosophy and process theology—the school of thought associated with the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead.〔Roland Faber, ''God as Poet of the World: Exploring Process Theologies'' (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), 35; C. Robert Mesle, ''Process Theology'' (St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1993), 126; Gary Dorrien, “The Lure and Necessity of Process Theology,” ''CrossCurrents'' 58 (2008): 316; Monica A. Coleman, Nancy R. Howell, and Helene Tallon Russell, ''Creating Women’s Theology: A Movement Engaging Process Thought'' (Wipf and Stock, 2011), 13.〕 Cobb is the author of more than fifty books.〔Process and Faith, "John B. Cobb, Jr." http://processandfaith.org/misc/john-b-cobb-jr〕 In 2014, Cobb was elected to the prestigious American Academy of Arts and Sciences.〔(【引用サイトリンク】website=https://www.amacad.org/content/news/pressReleases.aspx?pr=217 )〕 A unifying theme of Cobb's work is his emphasis on ecological interdependence—the idea that every part of the ecosystem is reliant on all the other parts. Cobb has argued that humanity's most urgent task is to preserve the world on which it lives and depends,〔John B. Cobb, "Intellectual Autobiography," ''Religious Studies Review'' 19 (1993): 10.〕 an idea which his primary influence—philosopher and mathematician Alfred North Whitehead—describes as "world-loyalty."〔Alfred North Whitehead, ''Religion in the Making'' (New York: Fordham University Press, 1996), 60.〕 Cobb is well known for his transdisciplinary approach, integrating insights from many different areas of study and bringing different specialized disciplines into fruitful communication. Because of his broad-minded interest and approach, Cobb has been influential in a wide range of disciplines, including theology, ecology, economics, biology and social ethics. In 1971, he wrote the first single-author book in environmental ethics—''Is It Too Late? A Theology of Ecology''—which argued for the relevance of religious thought in approaching the ecological crisis.〔The Center for Environmental Philosophy, "History of Environmental Ethics for the Novice," http://www.cep.unt.edu/novice.html〕 In 1989, he co-authored the book ''For the Common Good: Redirecting the Economy Toward Community, Environment, and a Sustainable Future'', which critiqued current global economic practice and advocated for a sustainable, ecology-based economics. He has written extensively on religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue, particularly between Buddhism and Christianity, as well as the need to reconcile religion and science. Cobb is the co-founder and current co-director of the Center for Process Studies in Claremont, California.〔The Center for Process Studies, "About the Center for Process Studies," http://www.ctr4process.org/about/general.shtml〕 The Center for Process Studies remains the leading Whitehead-related institute, and has witnessed the launch of more than thirty related centers at academic institutions throughout the world, including twenty-three centers in China.〔Institute for the Postmodern Development of China, "Collaborative Centers," http://www.postmodernchina.com/collaborative-centers.html〕〔"China embraces Alfred North Whitehead," last modified December 10, 2008, Douglas Todd, ''The Vancouver Sun'', accessed December 5, 2013, http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2008/12/10/china-embraces-alfred-north-whitehead/.〕 Cobb is also founder and president of the Institute for the Postmodern Development of China, which uses Whiteheadian ideas in order to move toward a sustainable economy and address practical problems associated with social change and globalization.〔Institute for the Postmodern Development of China, "About Us," http://www.postmodernchina.com/about-us.html〕 Recently, Cobb co-founded the organization (Pando Populus ). Pando Populus aims to create an "ecological civilization," and is co-organizing a major conference on "Seizing An Alternative" with the Center for Process Studies in June 2015. ==Biography== John Cobb was born in Kobe, Japan in 1925 to parents who were Methodist missionaries.〔David Ray Griffin, "John B. Cobb, Jr.: A Theological Biography," in ''Theology and the University: Essays in Honor of John B. Cobb, Jr.'', ed. David Ray Griffin and Joseph C. Hough, Jr. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991), 225.〕 Until age 15, he lived primarily in Kobe and Hiroshima and received most of his early education in a multi-ethnic Canadian academy in Kobe,〔 to which he attributes the beginnings of his pluralistic outlook.〔John B. Cobb, ''Theological Reminiscences'' (unpublished manuscript), 5-9.〕 In 1940, Cobb moved to Georgia, USA to finish high school.〔 He found himself both bewildered and disgusted by the pervasive racism in the region, particularly the demonization of the Japanese.〔John B. Cobb, ''Theological Reminiscences'' (unpublished manuscript), 7.〕 Seeing how the same events could be presented in such different ways based on the country in which he was living, Cobb became ever-more counter-cultural and critical of the dominant views in churches, media, universities, and government.〔John B. Cobb, ''Theological Reminiscences'' (unpublished manuscript), 9.〕 After his graduation from high school, Cobb attended Emory College in Oxford, Georgia before joining the U.S. Army in 1943.〔David Ray Griffin, "John B. Cobb, Jr.: A Theological Biography," in ''Theology and the University: Essays in Honor of John B. Cobb, Jr.'', ed. David Ray Griffin and Joseph C. Hough, Jr. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991), 225-226.〕 He was chosen for the Japanese language program, which was filled mainly with Jewish and Catholic intellectuals who helped make him aware of the narrow, parochial nature of his Georgia Protestantism.〔David Ray Griffin, "John B. Cobb, Jr.: A Theological Biography," in ''Theology and the University: Essays in Honor of John B. Cobb, Jr.'', ed. David Ray Griffin and Joseph C. Hough, Jr. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991), 226.〕 Cobb served in the occupation of Japan, then returned to the United States and left the army soon afterward. He then entered an interdepartmental program at the University of Chicago in 1947. There, he set out to test his faith by learning the modern world's objections to Christianity.〔David Ray Griffin, "John B. Cobb, Jr.: A Theological Biography," in ''Theology and the University: Essays in Honor of John B. Cobb, Jr.'', ed. David Ray Griffin and Joseph C. Hough, Jr. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991), 227.〕 His faith did not come out intact. "I was determined to expose my faith to the worst the world could offer. Within six months of such exposure my faith was shattered… God, who had been my constant companion and Lord up to that point, simply evaporated, and my prayers bounced back from the ceiling unheard."〔 Hoping to reconstruct a Christian faith more compatible with scientific and historical knowledge, Cobb entered the University of Chicago Divinity School.〔David Ray Griffin, "John B. Cobb, Jr.: A Theological Biography," in ''Theology and the University: Essays in Honor of John B. Cobb, Jr.'', ed. David Ray Griffin and Joseph C. Hough, Jr. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991), 228.〕 He was successful in restoring his personal faith primarily with the help of Richard McKeon, Daniel Day Williams, and Charles Hartshorne.〔 McKeon introduced Cobb to philosophical relativism, while Hartshorne and Williams taught him Whiteheadian process philosophy and process theology. Alfred North Whitehead's thought became the central theme of Cobb's own work. After receiving his PhD from the University of Chicago in 1952, he spent three years teaching at Young Harris College in north Georgia, while also serving as part-time pastor to a six-church circuit and establishing a seventh congregation in the area.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://theinterfaithobserver.org/who-we-are/single-gallery/11274954 )〕 Ernest Cadman Colwell, formerly president of the University of Chicago, brought Cobb to Emory University in Georgia to teach in the new graduate institute for liberal arts. In 1958, Cobb followed Colwell to Claremont, California,〔David Ray Griffin, "John B. Cobb, Jr.: A Theological Biography," in ''Theology and the University: Essays in Honor of John B. Cobb, Jr.'', ed. David Ray Griffin and Joseph C. Hough, Jr. (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1991), 229.〕 where he was named Ingraham Professor of Theology at Claremont School of Theology and Avery Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate University.〔 He established the ''Process Studies'' journal with Lewis S. Ford in 1971 and co-founded the Center for Process Studies with David Ray Griffin in 1973, making Claremont the center of Whiteheadian process thought.〔 Twenty-five years later, together with Herman Greene, he organized the International Process Network. This organization holds biennial conferences, the tenth of which will be taking place in Claremont in 2015.〔Worldwide Process, "'Seizing An Alternative' by John Cobb," http://www.worldwideprocess.org/seizing-an-alternative-by-john-cobb.html〕 During his career, Cobb has also served as Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School, Chicago Divinity School, Vanderbilt Divinity School, Iliff School of Theology, Rikkyo University in Japan, and the University of Mainz in Germany.〔 He has received six honorary doctorates.〔The Center for Process Studies, "John B. Cobb's CV," http://www.ctr4process.org/about/CoDirectors/cobb_cv.pdf, Claremont School of Theology, "CST to Award Cobb Honorary Doctorate at Commencement," http://www.cst.edu/news/2013/02/15/cst-to-award-cobb-honorary-doctorate-at-commenceme/〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「John B. Cobb」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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