The principles of integral ecology

Abstract

The concept of integral ecology is presented as a new paradigm proposed by Pope Francis in the encyclical Laudato si’ (2015). It offers a critical re-reading of the modern paradigm, marked by a “despotic” anthropocentrism (LS 68, 118), to promote integral ecology as a horizon of conversion. Inspired by Jacques Maritain (Humanisme intégral, 1936) and Paul VI (Populorum Progressio, 1967), this concept seeks to reconcile human and environmental ecology by integrating social justice and biodiversity preservation. Integral ecology, asserting that “everything is connected” (LS 138), is grounded in an ontological key: the interdependence of beings, reflecting the Trinity in creation (Bonaventure). It articulates four fundamental relationships

(God, others, oneself, creation), symbolized by a tetrahedron, and is guided by principles such as “reality is more important than ideas” (EG 231–233) or “the whole is greater than the part” (LS 141).

Pope Francis, echoing the “cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” (LS 49), links ecological crisis and poverty, criticizing the “throwaway culture” (LS 22). Integral ecology, with its universalist scope, addresses all people—believers and non-believers alike—by fostering dialogue among sciences, religions, and politics. Rooted in the Franciscan tradition (St. Francis of Assisi as a model of harmony) and the theology of the people (Scannone), it promotes “social and universal fraternity” (FT 2020). Finally, it calls for a conversion of our representations of nature, in response to Lynn White Jr.’s critique of Christian anthropocentrism, and for an ecology lived as “good news for creation.”