Can the East help the West to value nature?

Abstract

Eastern religion mixes uncertainly with Western science. It is doubtful whether Taoist and Buddhist views can be successfully exported to value the nature described by evolutionary ecoscience or to prescribe values for technological science. Specifically examined are the relations between karma, reincarnation, and biological value; binary complementarity and evolutionary nature; nondual union and biological integrity; and nirvana, emptiness, and extinction. The eastern categories fail to provide significant orientation in specific western environmental decisions.