religion influenced era birth_place school_tradition influences nationality main_interests notable_ideas birth_date alma_mater image article_title name region
methodism david faber , monica coleman , bruce epperly , michel weber ray griffin , c. robert mesle , roland 20th-century philosophy kobe , hyōgo prefecture , japan process philosophy process theology alfred williams north whitehead , charles hartshorne , daniel day american metaphysics , theology , ecology christocentric pluralism 9 february 1925 university of chicago john b. cobb , jr.jpg john b. cobb
 john b. cobb , jr. western philosophy
john b. cobb

john b. cobb , jr. -lrb- born february 9 , 1925 -rrb- is an american theologian , philosopher , and environmentalist .
gary dorrien has described cobb as one of the two most important north american theologians of the twentieth century -lrb- the other being rosemary radford ruether -rrb- .
cobb is often regarded as the preeminent scholar in the field of process philosophy and process theology -- the school of thought associated with the philosophy of alfred north whitehead .
cobb is the author of more than fifty books .
in 2014 , cobb was elected to the prestigious american academy of arts and sciences .
a unifying theme of cobb 's work is his emphasis on ecological interdependence -- the idea that every part of the ecosystem is reliant on all the other parts .
cobb has argued that humanity 's most urgent task is to preserve the world on which it lives and depends , an idea which his primary influence -- philosopher and mathematician alfred north whitehead -- describes as `` world-loyalty . ''
cobb is well known for his transdisciplinary approach , integrating insights from many different areas of study and bringing different specialized disciplines into fruitful communication .
because of his broad-minded interest and approach , cobb has been influential in a wide range of disciplines , including theology , ecology , economics , biology and social ethics .
in 1971 , he wrote the first single-author book in environmental ethics -- `` is it too late ?
a theology of ecology '' -- which argued for the relevance of religious thought in approaching the ecological crisis .
in 1989 , he co-authored the book `` for the common good : redirecting the economy toward community , environment , and a sustainable future '' , which critiqued current global economic practice and advocated for a sustainable , ecology-based economics .
he has written extensively on religious pluralism and interfaith dialogue , particularly between buddhism and christianity , as well as the need to reconcile religion and science .
cobb is the co-founder and current co-director of the center for process studies in claremont , california .
the center for process studies remains the leading whitehead-related institute , and has witnessed the launch of more than thirty related centers at academic institutions throughout the world , including twenty-three centers in china .
cobb is also founder and president of the institute for the postmodern development of china , which uses whiteheadian ideas in order to move toward a sustainable economy and address practical problems associated with social change and globalization .
recently , cobb co-founded the organization pando populus .
pando populus aims to create an `` ecological civilization , '' and is co-organizing a major conference on `` seizing an alternative '' with the center for process studies in june 2015 .
