The extinction of species is not just an ecological crisis—it is also an epistemological one. This chapter explores three interwoven dimensions vital to faith-engaged educational contexts: science, community, and metaphysics. It highlights how unrelenting biodiversity loss diminishes our capacity to know, relate, and live meaningfully. The chapter coins and promotes the concept of ecogogy as a distinctive eco-pedagogical posture for learning—embodied, affective, relational, and nature-based—sensitively attuned to the holistic well-being of the Earth. Ecogogy is defined here as follows: Ecogogy encompasses modes of ecological learning that are embodied, affective, and relational—rooted in a mindful and reverent proximity to the more-than-human world and to nature as teacher. It foregrounds the ethical, epistemological, and spiritual dimensions of education in an age of ecological crisis, affirming an ecocentric orientation that holds the Earth in sacred esteem. Ecogogy calls for holistic forms of learning that emerge from, respond to, and remain accountable to the Earth. This chapter invites educators to view conservation not merely as the stewardship of life, but also as an imperative for safeguarding the conditions for learning, knowing, and cherishing life in all its forms across generations.
- Extinction, Epistemology, and Ecogogy: Knowing, Learning, and Loving in a Diminishing World
- Johannes M. Luetz (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Johannes M. Luetz (Editor) - Alphacrucis University CollegeWalter Leal Filho (Editor) - HAW HamburgPatrick D. Nunn (Editor) - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Handbook of Traditional Spirituality and Sustainability, pp.651-671
- World Sustainability Series
- Springer
- 2026
- 10.1007/978-3-032-05795-2_36; 10.1007/978-3-032-05795-2
- 2199-7381
- Australian Centre for Pacific Islands Research; Academic Support Unit; School of Law and Society; Sustainability Research Cluster
- English
- 991242394202621
- Book chapter