Bahai Philosophy and the Question of the Environment

natural law. One of the implications of the mechanistic and materialistic definition of nature and

culture is the hedonistic idea of freedom. According to this doctrine, all natural beings follow

their natural tendencies and act in accordance with their nature. Therefore, the theory adds,

humans should also act in accordance with the laws of nature and their naturalistic desire for gain

and acquisition. This theory has been sometimes combined with a version of Social Darwinism,

according to which both nature and culture are organized on the basis of the principles of the

struggle for existence and the survival of the fittest. Humans are thought to fulfill their nature by

following their natural desires. Liberty to follow one’s own selfish interests, therefore, becomes

an affirmation of human nature.

In the Bahá’í writings we can detect at least three fundamental principles concerning the

relation of human nature to universal nature. The first principle regards the nature of reality.

According to the Bahá’í writings, the ultimate law of reality is not struggle for existence but

cooperation, mutual reciprocity, and harmonious interdependence. The metaphysical expression

of this idea is the principle of unity in diversity. Reality is perceived in terms of three levels of

being corresponding to three forms of unity in diversity. These three levels are the realm of the

transcendental God, the realm of the Divine Will, and the realm of creation. All created beings

are different expressions of the attributes of God. This is the supreme unity in diversity which

connects all beings as mirrors of the divine. The unity in diversity of the Divine Will is

represented by the common reality underlying the diverse forms of historical revelations and

Manifestations of God as founders of different spiritual civilizations. The unity in diversity of the

realm of creation is reflected in the category of natural reciprocity of all beings and the principle

of oneness of humankind.

Because of this ultimate metaphysical unity in diversity of all beings the Bahá’í writings

frequently talk of

love

as the organizing principle and essence of reality. All beings are

reflections of divine love, and all are embodiments of love. That would seem to indicate one of

the reasons ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave the same definition for nature and love. Consider this description

of love in ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s writings:

Love is the secret of God’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the

fountain of spiritual outpourings. Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal

breath that vivifies the human soul. Love is the cause of God’s revelation unto man, the

vital bond inherent, according to Divine creation, in the realities of things. Love is the

one means that insures true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that