Avatar 2: The Philosophy and Symbolism of Water
Chinese Philosophy
Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu
The Analects, Confucius
“The Philosophy of Water: Humility, Harmony, and Openness” Raymond Tang
“Be Like Water: The Philosophy and Origin of Bruce Lee’s Famous Metaphor for Resilience” Maria Popova
Eastern Orthodoxy
Of Water and the Spirit: A Liturgical Study of Baptism, Rev. Alexander Schmemann
“Chaoskampf in the Orthodox Baptism Ritual,” C. Oancea
“When Chaos Ruled the World,” Rev. Stephen Freeman
Maori Cultures
“Maori Minds,” Kiri Prentice on YouTube
“Water: New Zealand Applies Māori Philosophy to 21st-Century Challenges,” Liam Foster and Kumeroa Pihama
“Water Wisdom: The Indigenous Scientists Walking in Two Worlds,” Jane Palmer
“Tears of Rangi: Water, Power, and People in New Zealand,” Anne Salmond
“Wai Maori: A Maori Perspective on the Freshwater Debate,” Tina Ngata
The Na’vi Way: Desire, Happiness, and Three Laws of Eywa
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, William B. Irvine
The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation, Thich Nhat Hanh
Centuries of Meditations, Thomas Traherne
“National Parks: The Paradise or Paradox?” Jinyang Deng, Yaoqi Zhang, and John Schelhas
The Ethics of Payakan: An Introduction to Morality
The Niconachean Ethics, Aristotle (Virtue Ethicist)*
Utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill (Consequentialist)*
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant (Deontologist)*
Vibrant Paradoxes: The Both/And of Catholicism, Bishop Robert Barron
*Demanding but foundational and influential readings
Life, Death, and Immortality in Avatar 2
Classics
Iliad, Homer
Republic, Plato
Hamlet, Shakespeare
Articles
“Symbolic Immortality,” Robert Jay Lifton and Eric Olson
“To Count Our Days: The Scientific and Ethical Dimensions of Radical Life Extension,” Pew Research Center (Physical Immortality)
“What Are the Ethical Consequences of Immortality Technology?” Francesca Minerva (Physical Immortality and Digital Immortality)
“Tree of Life,” Stephen Elridge
Our Great Mother: The Eco-theology of Pandora
Historical Eco-theology
“An Introduction to Eco-theology,” Andrew Orr (Literature Overview)
The Garden of God: Toward a Human Ecology, “Green Pontiff” Benedict XVI
Living in God’s Creation: Orthodox Perspectives on Ecology, Elizabeth Theokritoff
“Proprietors or Priests of Creation?” Met. John of Pergamon
“Ecological Vision in James Cameron’s Avatar,” Rev. Andrew Stephen Damick
Mother Nature
Gaia: A New Look at Life, James Lovelock
Mother Earth Spirituality: Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World, Ed Mcgaa
Practical Wisdom
“10 Ways to Honor Earth Day Every Day,” Abbott
“Earth Day and Recovery: Deepen Your Spiritual Relationship with Nature,” Renascent
Cosmic Interruptions: Eclipses in Avatar 2 vs. World Mythology
In the Shadow of the Moon: The Science, Magic, and Mystery of Solar Eclipses, Anthony Aveni (Yale University Press)
“The Demons of Darkness Will Eat Men, and Other Solar Eclipse Myths,” Jonah Engel Bromwich at New York Times
“If You Think an Eclipse Means doomsday, You’re Not the First,” or “Why Do We Associate Eclipses with the End of the World,” David Cox at BBC
“Bernardino de Sahagún and Collaborators, Florentine Codex,” at Khan Academy
“Sun Worship: Gods, Symbols, and Facts,” Jenna Mellentine
The Nativity of Kiri: Retrieving the Virgin Birth
Mary and Femininity
“Making of Biblical Womanhood and the Missing Mother of God,” Alisa Ruddell
“Biblical Mary: The Ark of the New Covenant,” David Bates
Story and Allegory
Story as a Way of Knowing, Kevin M. Bradt
“The Tradition of Christian Allegory Yesterday and Today,” Leroy A. Huizenga
PANDORAN PHILOSOPHER 