Multimedia

Daoism and Ecological Civilization
Chen Xia, Peter Senge, Stephen Posner, Mary Evelyn Tucker
Garrison Institute and the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
2026

Ecological Civilization in China often draws on traditional philosophical lineages to articulate what “living well” might mean within ecological limits. Among these, Daoism offers a distinctive orientation: attention to harmony, restraint, interdependence, and the cultivation of a way of life aligned with the patterns of the natural world. In this Forum, Chen Xia (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) explores how Daoist thought can inform—support, complicate, and deepen—the project of Ecological Civilization today. Moving beyond slogans, we’ll examine Daoism as a living intellectual and ethical tradition with relevance for contemporary challenges: environmental governance, cultural renewal, and the formation of ecological values in public life. In conversation with Stephen Posner and Mary Evelyn Tucker, we’ll consider questions such as: What elements of Daoist philosophy are most relevant to today’s ecological realities—and what gets misunderstood when Daoism is translated into modern policy language? How do Daoist ideas of cultivation (of self, society, and relationship with the more-than-human world) connect to the “inner–outer” demands of systems change? Can Daoist concepts such as gongsheng (symbiosis / co-flourishing) help reframe modern narratives of progress and development? What might Daoism contribute to global conversations on ecological ethics—without flattening cultural specificity?

Spotlights ~ 3.24, The Dao of Civilization
Freya Mathews
Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
2023
This episode of Spotlights features Freya Mathews, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Philosophy at Latrobe University, and author of several books, including The Ecological Self (1991, reissued with new intro in 2021), For Love of Matter: A Contemporary Panpsychism (2003), Reinhabiting Reality: Towards a Recovery of Culture (2005), and her new book, The Dao of Civilization: a Letter to China (2023). We discuss her personal and professional path toward metaphysics, conservation ethics, and ecological civilization, with special attention to the unique role that Indigenous and Daoist principles can play in contemporary global society. This episode begins with a few verses from a poem, “Let the Mountain be your Temple,” by Freya Matthews. The full poem can be found here: https://www.freyamathews.net/poetry More information about The Dao of Civilization can be found on the publisher's website: https://anthempress.com/on-the-dao-of…
Posted 7/17/2023
 
Martin Palmer: “Daoism and the Harmony Between Humans and Nature”
Manchester China Institute
2022

This video is an excerpt from “Daoism in China's Climate Change Policy” webinar, co-organised by Manchester China Institute and Manchester Museum. Here, Martin Palmer discusses the unique Daoist understanding of the climate crisis and its impacts on the future of civil society action in China.

Daoism and Ecology
Whittier College
2017

This digital story was created as part of the Green Religion course at Whittier College.

James Miller: “Daoism, Ecology and Undisciplining the University”
Harvard Divinity School
2016

Dr. James Miller, Professor of Humanities at Duke Kunshan University, addresses some prevalent tensions within the field of religious studies: for instance, he suggests that Chinese religions are often framed as relics of the past in conflict with the predominantly Western forces of modernity. Dr. Miller suggests that scholars approach religious studies from the framework of a sustainable future—a paradigm that has the potential to overcome these tensions and reshape the disciplinary structures of the university.

Meeting China’s Environmental Crisis: Religion’s Unlikely Role
UChicagoCISSR/Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
2014

In this Pulitzer Center symposium, journalists and scholars discuss environmental issues in China and the place of religion in responding to the nation's environmental challenges. Religion, the subject of official repression throughout much of China’s Communist era, is now experiencing rapid growth. More surprising still, Chinese government officials are invoking Confucianism, Daoism and other cultural traditions as part of the “ecological civilization” required to meet the country’s huge environmental challenges. Journalists, filmmakers and academic specialists from China and the United States explore these trends in these two panels moderated by Jon Sawyer, Executive Director of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

James Miller: “Daoism and Ecology”
Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
2013

James Miller discusses Daoism and Ecology with Mary Evelyn Tucker. “Daoism and Ecology” is part of the larger “Conversations on World Religions and Ecology” project. Watch the whole “Conversations on World Religions and Ecology” series on the Forum on Religion and Ecology YouTube Channel.

James Miller: “Daoism, Ecology, and Journey of the Universe” Journey of the Universe and Our Elegant Universe Symposium
James Miller
Chautauqua Institution
2013

Dr. James Miller, Professor of Humanities at Duke Kunshan University, offers his reflections on a Daoist response to Journey of the Universe. For Dr. Miller, Daoism speaks to a repeated patterning process that situates the human within the Earth, the Heavens, and the Way—a vision that dissolves the boundaries between our internal and external worlds. He suggests that both Daoism and Journey provide meditative opportunities to reshape our understanding of ourselves and our relationship to the natural world.

 

 

Header photo: MaoShan Lao Zi, Courtesy of ARC