Sustainable Development: The Spiritual Dimension

The concept of Sustainable Development was accepted by the world leaders in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The concept was vague and this is natural when an international consensus has to be achieved. It was also based implicitly on the dominant "Western" paradigm with its stress on science and technology, its stress on management of technology and the meshing of economics and ecology as the answer to the environmental crisis. Value systems were not included in the concept of sustainable development. The book studies the "Eastern" paradigm based on the concepts and values of Hinduism. Buddhism and Islam and suggests that for a truly global ethic the "Western" and "Eastern" paradigms need to be integrated. This could be done through the mediation of modern science.