Thomas Berry builds the case that “the demonic pathology of the Western soul” is the prime driving force behind the current devastating impact of the human species on the planet. He argues that Western religion, economics, education and politics have all failed to address this issue primarily because they all see a discontinuity between the human and the non-human. The non-human has no legal rights, sacred or economic value, and can teach us nothing in this Western worldview. He argues that until Western culture becomes more integral with the Earth Community and Universe Story, there is little which can be done to arrest the devastation of our planetary home.
