Our obligations to nature

Since the publication of his first article, Rolston has been developing and refining these ideas - continuing to find connections between science, nature, and God. Think of it as Billy Graham (another Templeton prize recipient) chaining himself to a tree.

Sound wild? Rolston likes to think so. He describes himself as a philosopher gone wild, in the best sense of the word. And some of his ideas have stirred enormous controversy in the scientific and religious communities. One such idea, "cruciform naturalism," was described in his 1987 book, "Science and Religion: A Critical Survey."

To illustrate the concept, Rolston points to the Bible's 23rd Psalm. "You have green pastures in the valley of the shadow of death," he says. "Boy, that's pretty good biology: the idea that life is a gift, but is perpetually regenerated in the shadow of the valley of death. I think that this element of struggle fits into a larger picture of death and rebirth, what I call life persisting in the midst of its perpetual perishing. That seems to be another way of looking at Darwinism."

But Rolston says there is more to life than ethics and philosophy. Nature, he says smiling, is to be experienced and enjoyed. And he has practiced what he preaches. Rolston has visited and lectured on every continent, including Antarctica. He says that he never ceases to marvel at the diversity and beauty of the creatures and plants he sees. "When you encounter nature, you have a sense of fundamental sources, you have a sense of the depth of being," he says. "You have a sense of the mystery of creation."

Rolston sees this mystery and beauty everywhere. He describes watching three lions sink their jaws into a zebra on the planes of Africa as a religious experience. "They stalked from different directions and the skills they had were just amazing," says Rolston. "Then the mothers and their cubs began to eat. That sort of puts you right in the middle of the way life works."

When asked about the future and the direction in which the world is headed, Rolston describes himself as a cautious optimist. He worries about global warming and an imbalance of resources, but points to the Endangered Species Act, the Wilderness Act, and cleaner air and water as real progress.

To encourage the continuation of this progress and of his ideas, Rolston is donating all his prize money to Davidson College to endow a chair for a scholar in religion and science. "Davidson is where I got started 50 years ago," Rolston recalls. "I'd like to see students 50 years from now still thinking about these issues."

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