Integration of ecosystem theories

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Clare Palmer

Here Palmer challenges the belief that the process thinking of writers like A.N. Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne has offered an unambiguously positive contribution to environmental ethics. She compares process ethics to a variety of other forms.

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Max Oelschlaeger

In this age of heightened sensitivity to environmental problems, the popular press inundates us with the issues of the moment. We hear of the immediate threats to our groundwater supply, to the rain forest, to the ozone. Yet nowhere do we find coverage of the fundamental issues of environmentalism, those elements such as philosophy and history that, though less dramatic, constitute the foundation from which we can reverse ecological breakdown. This vital collection of essays by some of the environmental movement's preeminent thinkers addresses these deeper, neglected issues. Written from a broad range of perspectives, the authors explore the dynamic tension between wild nature and civilization, offering insights into why the relationship has become so conflicted and suggesting creative means for reconciliation. Introducing the concept of the wilderness condition, the essays probe the effects of history, psychology, culture, and philosophy on the environment. Included is commentary from Gary Snyder, award-winning author of Turtle Island, who discusses how our prevailing assumptions about "nature" and "wilderness" impede conservation. Paul Shepard, author of Man in the Landscape, presents his compelling, controversial theory that the seeds of our current ecological crisis were planted in the New Stone Age. And George Sessions explains how the two major schools of thought in the environmental movement differ on its most basic issues, again thwarting opportunities for change. Other essays discuss how Western philosophy has erroneously divorced humankind from nature; why Sierra Club founder John Muir's early writings remain eminently relevant; and how elements of Eastern philosophy may hold the key to successful change. The contributors eloquently demonstrate why we can no longer take nature for granted, or assume that its existence is somehow second to humankind's. They argue convincingly that no amount of technology will ever displace our primal connection to nature. But rather than simply deploring the prevailing attitudes toward our imperiled environment, the essayists offer fresh, realistic, and inspiring ideas for alleviating the crisis. Three themes unify the collection: the essayists, though they represent different traditions, share an evolutionary perspective that confirms why humankind and nature are by necessity interdependent; sensitive to language, the writers reveal how the words we choose when we consider environmental issues reflect our sometimes naive understanding of them; and most important, the essayists share the conviction that all is not lost--and that we can initiate a worldwide trend toward recognizing the environment as a vital entity in its own right, thereby preserving its integrity.

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Uwe Döhn

**Die verborgene Utopie** ist ein theoretisches Buch, das trotzdem unmittelbar verständlich ist. Es als Aufschrei der Empörung und Anleitung für Aussteiger zu verstehen, gelingt mit wenig Mühe. Flucht und Verweigerung, Wiedergeburt und Freiheit, Natur und Glück sind die bewegten und bewegenden Themen, die da ausgebreitet werden. Provozierend wie die Wahrheit und komplex wie das Leben wird es zwar manchen Etablierten schockieren, den Driftern und Suchern aber aus der Seele sprechen. Wem aufgegangen ist, daß es so wie bisher nicht weiter gehen kann mit dem Lauf der Welt, der wird hier mehr von den verdrängten, untergründigen Mölichkeiten unserer Geschichte erfahren und ihr gegenwärtiges Drängen verstehen. Statt romantischen Hader mit der fortschreitenden Entfremdung oder dem hilflosen „Zurück zur Natur“ bietet das Buch einen Zukunftsausblick, der ohne Kulturvandalismus auskommt. Es stellt die Möglichkeit einer „erotischen Kultur“ in Aussicht und zeigt die Tendenzen zur Wiederherstellung der Balance zwischen humanitärem und technischem Fortschritt auf. Die Kräfte, weiche zum Wiedererstarken einer menschlichen Vernunft taugen, sind im „ökologischen Motiv“ ausgedrückt, das als historisches Mosaik freigelegt wird. Insofern jenes Mosaik des ökologischen Motivs an realgeschichtlichen Umständen und literarischen Werken der „Neuen Welt“ entwickelt wird, gibt das Buch einen neuen und faszinierenden Einblick in die angloamerikanische Kulturgeschichte. Ein Buch für Ökologen und sozial engagierte Menschen ebenso wie für Literaturwissenschaftler und Philologiestudenten, Historiker und Gesellschaftswissenschaftler, die den herben Wind der Wirklichkeit noch manchmal spüren.

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David Suzuki with Amanda McConnell

This special 10th anniversary edition of the David Suzuki classic, re-examines our place in the natural world in light of sweeping environmental changes and recent advances in scientific knowledge.In the ten years since The Sacred Balance was first published, global warming has become a major issue as glaciers and polar ice caps have begun to melt at an alarming rate, populations of polar bears have dwindled, the intensity of hurricanes and tsunamis has drastically increased, coral bleaching is occurring globally, and the earth has experienced its hottest years in over four centuries. In this new and extensively revised and amplified edition of his best-selling book, David Suzuki reflects on these changes and examines what they mean for our place in the world.The basic message of this seminal, best-selling work remains the same: We are creatures of the earth, and as such, we are utterly dependent on its gifts of air, water, soil, and the energy of the sun. These elements are not just external factors; we take them into our bodies, where they are incorporated into our very essence. What replenishes the air, water, and soil and captures sunlight to vitalize the biosphere is the diverse web of all beings. The recently completed human genome project has revealed that all species are our biological kin, related to us through our evolutionary history. And it appears that our need for their company is programmed into our genome.The cataclysmic events of the last decade require that we rethink our behaviour and find a new way to live in balance with our surroundings. This book offers just such a new direction for us all.