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Thomas Berry, C.P., PhD (November 9, 1914 – June 1, 2009) was a Catholic priest of the Passionist order, cultural historian and ecotheologian (although cosmologist and geologian – or “Earth scholar” – were his preferred descriptors). Among advocates of deep ecology and "ecospirituality" he is famous for proposing that a deep understanding of the history and functioning of the evolving universe is a necessary inspiration and guide for our own effective functioning as individuals and as a species. He is considered a leader in the tradition of Teilhard de Chardin. Berry believed that humanity, after generations spent in self-glorification and despoiling the world, is poised to embrace a new role as a vital part of a larger, interdependent “communion of subjects” on earth and in the universe. Berry said the transformation of humanity’s priorities will not come easily. It requires what he called “the great work” — the title of his last major book — in four institutional realms: the political and legal order; the economic and industrial world; education; and religion. ==Biography== Born to William and Betty Berry in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1914, Berry was the third of 13 children. He was named for his father, William Nathan Berry, who founded Berico Fuels in 1924. At age 11 he had an epiphany in a meadow, which became a primary reference point for the rest of his life. He later elaborated this experience into a set of ''Twelve Principles for Understanding the Universe and the Role of the Human in the Universe Process''. The first of these principles states: The universe, the solar system, and planet earth in themselves and in their evolutionary emergence constitute for the human community the primary revelation of that ultimate mystery whence all things emerge into being. Berry entered a monastery of the Passionist order in 1933, where he adopted the name "Thomas". He was ordained in 1942. Traveling widely, he began examining cultural history, including the foundations of diverse cultures and their relationship to the natural world. He received his doctorate in history from The Catholic University of America, with a thesis on Giambattista Vico's philosophy of history. He then studied Chinese language and Chinese culture in China and learned Sanskrit for the study of India and the traditions of religion in India. Later he assisted in an educational program for the T'boli tribal peoples of South Cotabato, a province of the island of Mindanao in the Philippines, and he taught the cultural history of India and China at universities in New Jersey and New York (1956–1965). Later he was director of the graduate program in the History of Religions at Fordham University (1966–1979). He founded and directed the Riverdale Center of Religious Research in Riverdale, New York (1970–1995). Berry studied and was influenced by the work of Teilhard de Chardin and was president of the American Teilhard Association (1975–1987). He also studied Native American cultures and shamanism. From his academic beginnings as a historian of world cultures and religions, Berry developed into a historian of the Earth and its evolutionary processes. He described himself as a "geologian". In 1995, Berry returned to Greensboro, North Carolina. While nominally retired, he continued to write, lecture, and receive friends at his home. In a tribute to Berry, Mary Evelyn Tucker says that his books – ''The Dream of the Earth'' (1988 reprinted, 2006), ''The Universe Story'' (with Brian Swimme, 1992), and ''The Great Work: Our Way into the Future'' (1999) – are "major contributions to the discussion on the environment". A collection of his essays, ''Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as Sacred Community'', was jointly published by Sierra Club Books and the University of California Press.〔〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.thomasberry.org/tributes_and_photos/Berry_obituary.jpg )〕〔Tucker, Mary Ellen (Jun 10, 2009) (A Tribute to Thomas Berry (1914-2009), Scholar, Visionary, Planet Lover ). ''YES! Magazine''.〕 His work continues with the (Thomas Berry Foundation ), the (American Teilhard Association ), the (Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale ), the (Journey of the Universe ) project, and in conservation and permaculture projects around the world. 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「Thomas Berry」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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