Natural Causes

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Luke Martell

Ecology and Society introduces green ideas to students of the social sciences. It goes beyond traditional sociological boundaries to show how society interacts with nature but suggests that there are flaws in the philosophy and politics of the green movement. The book analyses ecological limits on, and effects of, industrialism and economic growth. Martell assesses forms of society and politics appropriate to sustainability. He evaluates proposals for frugality and argues for global and interventionist solutions over the decentralized and capitalist proposals of greens and economic liberals. The volume goes beyond human-centred and eco-centred perspectives in the philosophy of environmentalism and assesses explanations for the development of the green movement in recent years. Martell shows how ecology both revolutionizes and relies on traditions in political thought such as conservatism, liberalism, socialism, and feminism. He proposes a realist perspective in rethinking relations between society and nature over approaches popular in sociology and the green movement. The book concludes with an assessment of the future of the green movement, arguing for a focus on politics and alliances, rather than social agents or lifestyle politics, in green politics. "This is a superb and much needed contribution: it achieves a remarkably coherent synthesis of ecological concerns with social and political theory. It is highly original, scholarly and, at the same time, beautifully clear and accessible. It will be much welcomed by researchers and students alike". Ted Benton, University of Essex.

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John H. Bodley. --

"Can the earth satisfy, on a sustained basis, the basic needs of more than 6 billion people? How do the problems of exploitation, injustice, and environmental degradation relate to increases in the scale and complexity of societies, economies, and the concentration of wealth? What are the costs and benefits of a global commercial culture? The fourth edition of John H. Bodley's Anthropology and Contemporary Human Problems examines the fundamental problem of modern civilization--hunger, poverty, overconsumption, and conflict--from a holistic, anthropological viewpoint. The author makes clear and stimulating use of prehistoric and ethnographic research to explain the context of contemporary human concerns, and uses culture scale as a means for comparing solutions to these problems. Ultimately, the text challenges our assumptions about modern civilization and the superiority of complex societies, as it looks toward future possibilities for adaptation."--Back cover.

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Timothy W. Luke

Ecocriticism, whether coming from "back to nature" conservatives, Nature Conservancy liberals, or Earth First! radicals, is familiar enough. But when we listen do we really hear what these groups are saying? In a book that examines the terms of ecocriticism, Timothy W. Luke exposes how ecological critics, organizations, and movements manipulate our conception of the environment.

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Moshe Bar

The perspectives represented in this collection span a spectrum from the cellular underpinnings to the computational principles underlying future-related mental processes, and from systems neuroscience to cognition and emotion. In spite of this diversity, they share some core elements.