Papers by DAMIEN SAVINO
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), Aug 31, 2022
While the Catholic intellectual tradition upholds the uniqueness of humans, much contemporary sci... more While the Catholic intellectual tradition upholds the uniqueness of humans, much contemporary scientific research has come to the opposing conclusion that humans are not significantly different from other animals. To engage in robust dialogue around the question of human uniqueness, we utilize Aquinas’s model of disputatio to focus on an attribute of human beings that is unexplored in the literature – namely, the human capacity to garden – and address five scientific and philosophical objections to our position that the capacity to garden makes humans distinct. Engaging with various branches of science, we demonstrate that human capacities and modes of gardening are not only incrementally different, but also fundamentally different in kind, from those of nonhuman creatures. Philosophically, we utilize the power-object model of division and Aristotle’s categorization of knowledge to express the difference in kind between human beings and other animals. These responses allow us to set aside each major objection.
Focus on Laudato Si', 2019
This article examines a relatively unexplored aspect of integral ecology in Laudato Si’ called “t... more This article examines a relatively unexplored aspect of integral ecology in Laudato Si’ called “the ecology of daily life” and considers how living a healthy ecology of daily life relates to the unique vocation of humans to care for creation. Specifically, what does the Pope intend by “the ecology of daily life”? What are some obstacles to living it? How can living the ecology of daily life help build a culture of care? Based upon the principles articulated in the encyclical, the article proposes an examen for assessing progress in living the ecology of daily life. This examen is applied to two case studies in order to discern a fruitful practice of the ecology of daily life. The case studies represent environmental situations that, while affected by larger scale industrial/commercial processes, are primarily driven by micro-scale decision-making and small daily actions of individuals and local communities. The first case study focuses on endocrine disrupting chemicals as an example...
Review for Religious: New Series
Cities and the Environment, 2015
The importance of urban universities in civic ecology education and the transformation of urban s... more The importance of urban universities in civic ecology education and the transformation of urban spaces and mindsets has been little explored. With as many as 1475 colleges, universities, and communities colleges in large cities around the United States, many of which possess significant land holdings, it is conceivable that these institutions could make a significant contribution to the "greening" of cities. This paper posits that urban universities, especially those with environmental science and studies or sustainability-related programs, can be a locus for civic ecology education and can contribute, not only to the transformation of urban landscapes but also to the training of future environmental leaders, and ultimately to the transformation of urban young people. The paper describes an urban gardening project undertaken at University of St. Thomas in Houston as an example of this kind of social-ecological transformation and as a potential model for other urban univers...
What is the proper role of human persons in creation, especially in light of current ecological c... more What is the proper role of human persons in creation, especially in light of current ecological challenges? This book brings the disciplines of ecology and theology to bear upon this question, drawing upon the work of the ecologist C.S. Holling and the Franciscan theologian Saint Bonaventure. Holling developed a dynamic model to describe the resilience of ecosystems in the face of disturbance. In his theological anthropology, Bonaventure incorporates the notion of human persons as mediators. The two approaches are brought into dialogue to explore how they can contribute to understanding the role of humans in creation, particularly in relation to restoring it. Interdisciplinary principles are applied to a case study on the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. The focus is on building the resilience of the urban social-ecological system by conceiving ways to reconnect people with place and to enhance contemplative experiences of the river. This book promises to be a theoretical and pra...
Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2001, 2001
The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a geophysical investigation at a site in Norwalk, Connecticu... more The U.S. Geological Survey conducted a geophysical investigation at a site in Norwalk, Connecticut where solvents have contaminated a fractured-rock aquifer. Borehole, borehole-toborehole, and surface geophysical methods were used to characterize the bedrock fractures, lithologic structure, and transmissive zone hydraulic properties in 11 boreholes and their vicinity. The geophysical methods included conventional logs, borehole imagery, borehole radar, flowmeter, and azimuthal square-array dc resistivity soundings. Integrated interpretation of geophysical logs at borehole and borehole-to-borehole scales indicates that the bedrock foliation strikes northwest, dips northeast, and strikes north-northeast to northeast, dips both southeast and northwest. Although steeply dipping fractures that cross-cut foliation are observed, most fractures are parallel or sub-parallel to foliation. Steeply dipping reflectors observed in the radar reflection data from three boreholes near the main facility building delineate a north-northeast trending feature. Results of radar tomography conducted close to a suspected contaminant source area indicate that a zone of low velocity and high attenuation exists above 50 feet in depth-the region containing the highest density of fractures. Flowmeter logging was used to estimate hydraulic properties in each of the boreholes. Thirty-three transmissive zones were identified in 10 of the boreholes. The vertical separation of the transmissive zones in a borehole typically is 10 to 20 feet. Open-hole and discrete-zone transmissivity was estimated from flowmeter data acquired under ambient and pumping conditions. The open-hole transmissivity ranges from 2 to 86 feet squared per day (ft 2 /d). The estimated transmissivity of individual transmissive zones ranges from 0.5 to 70 ft 2 /d. Draw down monitoring in nearby boreholes under pumping conditions identified hydraulic connections along a northeast-southwest trend between boreholes as far as 560 feet apart. The vertical distributions of open fractures can be described by power law functions, which suggest that the fracture network contains transmissive zones consisting of closely spaced fractures surrounded by a less fractured and much less permeable rock mass.
Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, 2009
... Sr. Damien Marie Savino, FSE, holds a PhD in environmental engineering and an MA in theology ... more ... Sr. Damien Marie Savino, FSE, holds a PhD in environmental engineering and an MA in theology from The Catholic University of America. ... Leon Kass, Keeping Life Human: Science, Religion, and the Soul, Speech at the Manhattan Institute, October 18, 2007, available at http ...
New Blackfriars, 2015
In the spirit of Laudato Si', this article seeks to get to the “human roots of the ecolog... more In the spirit of Laudato Si', this article seeks to get to the “human roots of the ecological crisis” by tracing it back to its roots in the Enlightenment. The article then proposes “antidotes” to the crisis from the Catholic intellectual tradition, drawing upon the complement wisdom of Saints Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure of Bagnoregio. We argue that the true nature of creation has been progressively obscured since the Enlightenment, and that the two medieval masters provide the metaphysical foundations needed to recover creation today. Rediscovering this deeper understanding of creation is necessary to effectively diagnose and counter the attitudes and causes underlying the contemporary environmental crisis.
Cities and the Environment (CATE), 2015
The importance of urban universities in civic ecology education and the transformation of urban s... more The importance of urban universities in civic ecology education and the transformation of urban spaces and mindsets has been little explored. With as many as 1475 colleges, universities, and communities colleges in large cities around the United States, many of which possess significant land holdings, it is conceivable that these institutions could make a significant contribution to the "greening" of cities. This paper posits that urban universities, especially those with environmental science and studies or sustainability-related programs, can be a locus for civic ecology education and can contribute, not only to the transformation of urban landscapes but also to the training of future environmental leaders, and ultimately to the transformation of urban young people. The paper describes an urban gardening project undertaken at University of St. Thomas in Houston as an example of this kind of social-ecological transformation and as a potential model for other urban universities.
New Blackfriars, 2015
In the spirit of Laudato Si', this article seeks to get to the “human roots of the ecological cri... more In the spirit of Laudato Si', this article seeks to get to the “human roots of the ecological crisis” by tracing it back to its roots in the Enlightenment. The article then proposes “antidotes” to the crisis from the Catholic intellectual tradition, drawing upon the complement wisdom
of Saints Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure of Bagnoregio. We argue
that the true nature of creation has been progressively obscured
since the Enlightenment, and that the two medieval masters provide
the metaphysical foundations needed to recover creation today.
Rediscovering this deeper understanding of creation is necessary to
effectively diagnose and counter the attitudes and causes underlying
the contemporary environmental crisis.
The Trumpeter: Journal of Ecosophy, 2018
This article examines a relatively unexplored aspect of integral ecology in Laudato Si’ called “t... more This article examines a relatively unexplored aspect of integral ecology in Laudato Si’ called “the ecology of daily life” and considers how living a healthy ecology of daily life relates to the unique vocation of humans to care for creation. Specifically, what does the Pope intend by “the ecology of daily life”? What are some obstacles to living it? How can living the ecology of daily life help build a culture of care? Based upon the principles articulated in the encyclical, the article proposes an examen for assessing progress in living the ecology of daily life. This examen is applied to two case studies in order to discern a fruitful practice of the ecology of daily life.
Articles by DAMIEN SAVINO
While the Catholic intellectual tradition upholds the uniqueness of humans, much contemporary sci... more While the Catholic intellectual tradition upholds the uniqueness of humans, much contemporary scientific research has come to the opposing conclusion that humans are not significantly different from other animals. To engage in robust dialogue around the question of human uniqueness, we utilize Aquinas’s model of disputatio to focus on an attribute of human beings that is unexplored in the literature – namely, the human capacity to garden – and address five scientific and philosophical objections to our position that the capacity to garden makes humans distinct. Engaging with various branches of science, we demonstrate that human capacities and modes of gardening are not only incrementally different, but also fundamentally different in kind, from those of nonhuman creatures. Philosophically, we utilize the power-object model of division and Aristotle’s categorization of knowledge to express the difference in kind between human beings and other animals. These responses allow us to set aside each major objection.
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Papers by DAMIEN SAVINO
of Saints Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure of Bagnoregio. We argue
that the true nature of creation has been progressively obscured
since the Enlightenment, and that the two medieval masters provide
the metaphysical foundations needed to recover creation today.
Rediscovering this deeper understanding of creation is necessary to
effectively diagnose and counter the attitudes and causes underlying
the contemporary environmental crisis.
Articles by DAMIEN SAVINO
of Saints Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure of Bagnoregio. We argue
that the true nature of creation has been progressively obscured
since the Enlightenment, and that the two medieval masters provide
the metaphysical foundations needed to recover creation today.
Rediscovering this deeper understanding of creation is necessary to
effectively diagnose and counter the attitudes and causes underlying
the contemporary environmental crisis.