An Analysis of Wendell Berry's Vision for Creation Care

Abstract

As technology has developed in the last century, many small farming communities in America have lost their connection with their community and their land. Previously, these communities need for each other, and dedication to caring for their farms, shaped their understanding of what it meant to be human and live well. There was a deeper care for the way their choices impacted the land. People understood that they were a part of a creation, rather than an environment. In Wendell Berry’s fiction, he captures and expresses the experience of these small farming communities that have been lost. In his non-fiction, he explores some of the specific errors in understanding of land use and care, and corrects many of those errors. This work will explore some of these flawed assumptions and their corrections according to Berry and conclude with an evaluation of their efficacy and feasibility.