Thomas Berry portrait photograph

Thomas Berry (1914-2009) was a cultural historian, cosmologist, and self-described “geologian” who examined human-Earth relationships through the lens of both scientific cosmology and spiritual traditions. His concept of the “Universe Story” proposed that cosmic evolution provides a framework for examining human purpose and ecological consciousness.

Trained in history and theology, Berry studied Asian cultures and religions throughout his early career. His encounters with indigenous worldviews and Eastern philosophies suggested alternatives to Western approaches to nature, informing his work on articulating new cultural narratives.

Berry collaborated with mathematical cosmologist Brian Swimme to write The Universe Story (1992), which synthesizes scientific cosmology with cultural wisdom. The work presents the 13.8-billion-year evolution of the universe as a narrative framework for examining human place within cosmic processes.

Through concepts like “Earth jurisprudence” and the “Great Work,” Berry proposed legal and cultural frameworks for transitioning from what he termed the “Cenozoic” era to the “Ecozoic” era - a period of mutually beneficial human-Earth relationships. His term “geologian” referred to reading meaning in Earth processes rather than only in religious texts.

Berry’s work influenced environmental law, ecological education, and spiritual communities. He taught that humans are Earth becoming conscious of itself, a view that positions human consciousness as emergent from natural processes.

Key Concepts

Essential Works

  1. “The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era” (HarperOne, 1992) - ISBN 978-0-06-250835-4 - With Brian Swimme
  2. “The Dream of the Earth” (Sierra Club Books, 1988) - ISBN 978-0-87156-633-2
  3. “The Great Work: Our Way into the Future” (Bell Tower, 1999) - ISBN 978-0-609-80499-1
  4. “Evening Thoughts: Reflecting on Earth as Sacred Community” (Sierra Club Books, 2006) - ISBN 978-1-57805-130-0
  5. “The Sacred Universe: Earth, Spirituality, and Religion in the Twenty-first Century” (Columbia University Press, 2009) - ISBN 978-0-231-14952-3

Selected Quotes

The universe is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects. — The Universe Story (1992)

We are not going into the future, we are going into the mystery. — The Dream of the Earth (1988)

We are the Earth become conscious of itself. — The Dream of the Earth (1988)

The Great Work now, as we move into a new millennium, is to carry out the transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would be present to the planet in a mutually beneficial manner. — The Great Work (1999)

If the Earth does grow inhospitable toward human presence, it is primarily because we have lost our sense of courtesy toward the Earth and its inhabitants. — The Dream of the Earth (1988)

We need to move from a spirituality of alienation from the natural world to a spirituality of intimacy with the natural world. — The Sacred Universe (2009)

The Earth is primary. Human beings are derivative. — Evening Thoughts (2006)

We bear the universe in our beings as the universe bears us in its being. — The Universe Story (1992)

Further Reading

Biographical Sources

Key Books

Related Resources