Beyond Anthropocentrism: Rabindranath Tagore’s Ecological Consciousness as a Resource for Contemporary Environmental Ethics

Abstract: This paper undertakes a systematic philosophical examination of Rabindranath Tagore’s ecological consciousness and evaluates its enduring relevance for contemporary environmental ethics. Situating Tagore within the intersecting traditions of Upanishadic non-dualism, Baul immanentism, and Romantic naturalism, the paper identifies three constitutive dimensions of his ecological philosophy: the relational ontology of nature expressed through his concept of “jeevan-devata”; the ethical orientation of “viswa-bodh” or cosmic awareness as a cultivated moral capacity; and the pedagogical institutionalization of ecological values at Shantiniketan as a living experiment in environmental education. The paper then brings these ideas into critical dialogue with major currents of contemporary environmental ethics—deep ecology, biocentrism, ecocriticism, and environmental pragmatism—identifying both significant structural convergences and philosophically important points of tension. It further subjects Tagore’s ecological vision to rigorous scrutiny from the perspectives of postcolonial ecocriticism and political ecology, arguing that while his aesthetico- spiritual framework offers genuine and underexplored philosophical resources, it requires supplementation by sustained attention to power, environmental justice, and the material conditions of ecological harm. The paper concludes by proposing three reconstructive moves through which a critically updated Tagorean environmental ethics can make a genuinely distinctive contribution to global ecological discourse in the twenty-first century.

Keywords: Tagore, Ecological Consciousness, Environmental Ethics, Deep Ecology, Biocentrism, Viswa-Bodh, Postcolonial Ecocriticism, Advaita Vedanta, Shantiniketan, Anthropocentrism