About Thomas Berry
Thomas Berry, CP (November 9, 1914 – June 1, 2009) was an American Catholic priest, cultural historian, and scholar of the world's religions, especially Asian traditions. Later, as he studied Earth history and evolution, he called himself a "geologian". He rejected the labels "theologian" and "ecotheologian" as too narrow and not descriptive of his religions arguments. He was drawn early on to respond to the growing ecological and climate crisis and proposed the need for a "New Story" of evolution in 1978. In this essay, he suggested that a deep understanding of the unfolding and evolution of the universe is necessary as a guide for human inspiration, individually and as a species. Berry believed that humanity, after generations spent in despoiling the planet, is poised to embrace a new role as a vital part of a larger, interdependent Earth community, consisting of a "communion of subjects not a collection of objects". He felt that we were at a critical turning point, moving out of the Cenozoic era and entering into a new evolutionary phase, which would either be an Ecozoic Era, characterized by mutually-enhancing human-Earth relations, or a Techozoic Era, where we dominate and exploit the planet via our technological mastery. Berry said the transformation of humanity's priorities will not come easily. It requires what he called "the great work"—the title of one of his books—in four institutional realms: the political and legal order; the economic and industrial world; education; and religion. His father founded Berico Fuels in 1924. During this period he also founded and directed the Riverdale Center of Religious Research in Riverdale, New York (1970–1995).
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