Dominion over the world without -- understood as being within

Psychosocial Implication of Without Within (Part #7)

The relation between religion and environment is a matter of developing concern, notably understood as a crisis of values. This derives in part from the manner in which Christianity has taken a leading role in de-sacralizing and instrumentalizing nature to human ends, thereby implying for itself a substantial "burden of guilt" for the contemporary environmental crisis.

As a consequence various projects have endeavoured to integrate preoccupations of faith with conservation principles, especially in the light of traditional theological doctrines of various religions. That of the Alliance of Religions and Conservation (cited above) is one example. In an editorial comment, The Economist (Religion and the UN: Visions of a new world, 8 October 2013) notes a study by Jeffrey Haynes (Faith-based Organisations at the United Nations, Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, 2013). An earlier study had focused on Europe (Marc Luyckx, The EU and Islam: the role of religion in the emerging European polity, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 2000).

For those cultures subject to the interpretations of the Abrahamic religions of the Book of Genesis, much hangs on a key phrase with respect to the "dominion" of man. As noted by Eleonora Montuschi (Order of man, order of nature: Francis Bacon's idea of a 'dominion' over nature, LSE Workshop on The Governance of Nature, 2010):

The image of man's dominion over nature is deeply rooted in Western thought. It first appears, in different forms, in the Book of Genesis. It also reappears as one of the leading images of the emerging 'new science' in the 16th century.

For some it is known as the cultural mandate (or creation mandate), being the divine injunction found in Genesis 1:28. It is notably fundamental to the theocratic ideal of Dominionism and Christian Reconstructionism. One translations of the verse is:

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Many useful summaries and varied interpretations have been provided (Hugh W. Nibley, Man's Dominion, New Era, January-February 1981; Derek Isaacs, Is There a Dominion Mandate? Answers Research Journal, 9 January 2013; Man's Dominion, Christian Life and Doctrine, February 2004; 41 Bible verses about Dominion, OpenBible.info). As noted in the evangelical Theopedia with respect to Dominion:

The concept of dominion is one of the key themes in the biblical account of the relationship between mankind and the rest of the material creation. It is a consequence of being created in the image of God, and has links to the biblical witness of Christ.

That commentary indicates the shifting contrast between an anthropo-centric view and an eco-centric interpretation.

Curiously (as with science) the primary emphasis is on the externality of nature, despite the explicit reference to the human observer as having been created as an "image". Given the extensive consideration of the paradoxes associated with an observing consciousness, most notably in physics and in Eastern philosophies, there is a case for considering how "dominion" might be interpreted if "nature" were to be considered as much "within" as "without" -- if not primarily "within", as argued above. Rather than the focus on excusing the foibles of humans as characteristic of "human nature", is there no case for exploring the more challenging possibility that "nature is human" -- as humans choose to frame it?

Whereas man's "dominion" over nature-without is controversial for some, even offensive, the "dominion" over nature-within accords to a degree with arguments for the social construction of reality. More radically, for the individual, there is every reason to acknowledge a degree of responsibility for nature-within. A form of "dominion" can then be readily acknowledged through the mastery of the world one engenders as a personal domain -- even an estate or a home (given the etymological origins in domus). Such an interpretation conflates and resolves the issues regarding anthropo-centric and eco-centric with those consequent on creation of an image. The cognitive framing offered by "going solar" (as with the "Sun King") suggests a more elegant geometry of dominion (Engaging with Globality through Cognitive Crowns, 2009).

This radical perspective offers possibilities of creative re-interpretation of Genesis 1:28 as cognitive challenges with respect to:

Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

How might the injunction then be understood cognitively in relation to the "objects" of awareness as constructs "within"?

Be fruitful?: appropriately to be understood as being enjoined to creativity in its most general sense -- contrasting with the current interpretation focused primarily on biological procreation
Multiply?: appropriately to be understood as elaborating every conceivable pattern of relationships -- contrasting with the current "materialist" focus on unchecked population growth through natalism and fecundism ("Be Fruitful and Multiply": the most tragic translation error?, 1995)
Subdue it?: appropriately to be understood as ensuring that it is indeed constrained "within" in some way, rather than problematically and challengingly "without" -- implying a contrasting focus on a form of cognitive self-mastery, a mastery of experience, or those suggested by the design challenges of cognitive fusion
Dominion over... every living thing that moveth upon the earth?: appropriately to be understood as ensuring their subjective significance and place on the "earth within", and taking responsibility for their dynamics "within" -- in contrast with the efforts of mankind to (micro-)manage their place "without"

These arguments accord with the environmental stewardship role that has been variously recommended, but reframes it from a radical cognitive perspective -- potentially more feasible and sustainable. The environment is then cognitively "appropriated" -- consistent to a degree with the conventional Christian interpretation of dominion, but better understood as being cognitively "hands off", rather than "hands on" in a manipulatively invasive and possessive sense. The latter might be understood as misappropriation.

The above-cited commentary of Hugh W. Nibley (Man's Dominion, New Era, January-February 1981) notes with respect to "subdue [kivshu] it" and "have dominion over [rdu b]" in Genesis 1:28 that:

The words kivshu and rdu both have a basic root-meaning of exerting pressure, that being, however, merely a point of departure for a whole spectrum of derivatives, so that scholars have translated the words according to individual taste and temperament to convey various ideas and types of dominion. Thus the dictionaries tell us that radad, with the basic meaning of trampling the earth... specifically means "to plow", while kavash, with the original idea of squeezing or hugging, can mean everything from "violate" to "cherish".

Rather than justifying unquestionably the questionable actions of developers "without", the implications "within" can be more readily appreciated. The process of "plowing the field" in Biblical terms is comprehensible with respect to any field of knowledge or cognitive endeavour -- including the most subtle spiritual exercises. Similarly the complex spectrum of experiential processes between "violate" and "cherish" is readily comprehensible in the enragement with any "subject matter", as speculatively explored separately (Beyond Harassment of Reality and Grasping Future Possibilities: learnings from sexual harassment as a metaphor, 1996).

Especially intriguing with respect to "dominion" is the ease with which this frames very conventional notions of property and the exclusivity of its ownership -- issues at the root of many ills relating to global inequality. Such notions are consistent with related injunctions regarding achievement of forms of dominion over all the peoples of the world -- the Great Commission of Christianity, or its equivalent in Islam and Judaism -- reinforcing military aspirations to full-spectrum dominance and political doctrines such as Manifest Destiny (as superseded by variants of the Monroe Doctrine).

The insights of fundamental physics suggest less restrictive interpretations regarding relations between frames of reference, potentially to be understood "within", as discussed separately (Einstein's Implicit Theory of Relativity - of Cognitive Property? Unexamined influence of patenting procedures, 2007). Preoccupation with the "intellectual property" implied by exclusive "dominion" suggests its further consideration in the light of the current debate regarding open access to published research enabled by taxpayer funding.

Although simply stated, any shift from "without" to "within" is necessarily a challenging cognitive enterprise, whether framed individually or collectively -- as religions may be recognized as having demonstrated. The question from the perspective of religions is how its exploration can be enabled in the light of both the existential subtlety central to religious faith and that offered by fundamental physics, as discussed separately (Mathematical Theology: Future Science of Confidence in Belief, 2011).

At the interface between faith and conservation, the question to be explored is the extent to which consideration is currently given to a cognitive reframing of the challenge. How might dominion over nature be internalized in terms of the subtleties cultivated by spirituality -- especially those emphasizing the illusory characteristics of the material, or challenging the dualism inherent in the contrast between "without" and "within".

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