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The Drowned Buddha: Buddhism, Ecology, and Mythopoeic Science in Kim Stanley Robinson's Science in the Capital Trilogy.

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Title: The Drowned Buddha: Buddhism, Ecology, and Mythopoeic Science in Kim Stanley Robinson's Science in the Capital Trilogy.
Authors: Isevski, Jovana (AUTHOR)
Source: Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science. Jun2026, Vol. 61 Issue 2, p397-420. 24p.
Subjects: Buddhism, Environmental ethics, Human ecology, American exceptionalism, Robinson, Kim Stanley, 1952-, Science fiction, Buddhist philosophy
Abstract: This article examines how Buddhism is mobilized in Kim Stanley Robinson's Science in the Capital trilogy as both a critique of scientific hyperrationality and a resource for ecological ethics. Drawing on the Dalai Lama's "secular ethics" and the seventeenth Karmapa's "path of environmental Buddhism," Robinson invokes Buddhist concepts of emptiness (śūnyatā), interdependence (pratītyasamutpāda), and compassion (karuṇā) to resist what Lisa Sideris terms "mythopoeic science," the sacralization of scientific narratives as redemptive cosmologies. However, his engagement with Buddhism remains selective: traditions are taken up insofar as they reinforce his vision of a reconfigured science, while those less compatible with Western rationalism are set aside. The result is a portrayal of Buddhism that simultaneously critiques scientism and reinscribes American exceptionalism, whiteness, and technocratic authority. Situating Robinson within the broader history of Buddhist modernism and its American reception, the article argues that his trilogy illuminates both the possibilities and limitations of Buddhism's role in shaping ecological thought in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science is the property of Open Library of Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Buddhism%22">Buddhism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Environmental+ethics%22">Environmental ethics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Human+ecology%22">Human ecology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22American+exceptionalism%22">American exceptionalism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Robinson%2C+Kim+Stanley%2C+1952-%22">Robinson, Kim Stanley, 1952-</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Science+fiction%22">Science fiction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Buddhist+philosophy%22">Buddhist philosophy</searchLink>
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  Data: This article examines how Buddhism is mobilized in Kim Stanley Robinson's Science in the Capital trilogy as both a critique of scientific hyperrationality and a resource for ecological ethics. Drawing on the Dalai Lama's "secular ethics" and the seventeenth Karmapa's "path of environmental Buddhism," Robinson invokes Buddhist concepts of emptiness (śūnyatā), interdependence (pratītyasamutpāda), and compassion (karuṇā) to resist what Lisa Sideris terms "mythopoeic science," the sacralization of scientific narratives as redemptive cosmologies. However, his engagement with Buddhism remains selective: traditions are taken up insofar as they reinforce his vision of a reconfigured science, while those less compatible with Western rationalism are set aside. The result is a portrayal of Buddhism that simultaneously critiques scientism and reinscribes American exceptionalism, whiteness, and technocratic authority. Situating Robinson within the broader history of Buddhist modernism and its American reception, the article argues that his trilogy illuminates both the possibilities and limitations of Buddhism's role in shaping ecological thought in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Zygon: Journal of Religion & Science is the property of Open Library of Humanities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.16995/zygon.25180
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 24
        StartPage: 397
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      – SubjectFull: Buddhism
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Environmental ethics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Human ecology
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      – SubjectFull: American exceptionalism
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      – SubjectFull: Robinson, Kim Stanley, 1952-
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      – SubjectFull: Science fiction
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      – SubjectFull: Buddhist philosophy
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      – TitleFull: The Drowned Buddha: Buddhism, Ecology, and Mythopoeic Science in Kim Stanley Robinson's Science in the Capital Trilogy.
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              Text: Jun2026
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              Y: 2026
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