ISSN: 2332-0915
						KOUAKOU  Bah Jean-Pierre
	
					    												
Cote D'Ivoire						                            
                            
						
 Commentary
												 The Contribution of the Sacred in Traditional African Societies to Environmental Ethics 
												
Author(s): Bah Jean-Pierre Kouakou
Bah Jean-Pierre Kouakou
             
						
												
				 The theme of “religion and ecology” comes within the scope of the problematic of the impact of religious beliefs on attitudes towards the environment. In this context, this study aims to show the contribution of cosmic sacred elements of flora and fauna to environmental ethics. Indeed, in the African cosmogony, and especially in traditional Ivorian societies, the spiritual life is linked to visible and invisible beings in nature. This link between man and nature is maintained by the sacred which occupies a prominent place in these societies. It governs the individual and collective life through various functions of security, health or socio cultural kinds. The fear of the sacred is shown by people’s respect for individual and community taboos or, by default, punishments. That promotes the conservation and protection of biodiversity. This leads to the idea that cultur.. View More»
				  
												DOI:
												 10.4172/2332-0915.1000110