Description
Book SynopsisA sceptical and practical look at environmental philosophy and its limitations.
Trade ReviewIn this small book, Kirkman (Michigan State Univ.) struggles to reconcile his philosophical skepticism with his environmental ideals. Unlike many environmental philosophy books, which are not easily accessible to lay people, this one is. It is engagingly written, and the philosophical arguments are laid out clearly and crisply. Kirkman addresses the basic question, Can philosophical understanding of the natural world contribute in a practical way to the public's discourse about environmental issues? He claims that it can and must. Part 1, Knowledge, consists of two chapters: The Nature of Nature and Organism and Mechanism. Part 2, Obligation, has two chapters as well: A Place on Earth and The Moral Compass. The final part 3, Hope, contains a single chapter, Environmentalism without Illusions. Kirkman's coverage of philosophies that bear on environmentalism is necessarily brief and to the point. The bibliography contains more than 170 pertinent citations, including references to recent and classical papers and books. A very useful primer about skeptical environmentalism. General readers; lower—division undergraduates through graduate students; two—year technical program students.P. R. Pinet, Colgate University, 2002sep CHOICE
"Unlike many environmental philosophy books, which are not easily accessible to lay people, this one is. It is engagingly written, and the philosophical arguments are laid out clearly and crisply. Kirkman addresses the basic question, Can philosophical understanding of the natural world contribute in a practical way to the public's discourse about environmental issues? He claims that it can and must.... A very useful primer about skeptical environmentalism. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through graduate students; two-year technical program students." —Choice, September 2002
Table of ContentsPreliminary Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1. Knowledge
1. The Nature of Nature
2. Organism and Mechanism
Part 2. Obligation
3. A Place on Earth
4. The Moral Compass
Part 3. Hope
5. Environmentalism without Illusions
Notes
Bibliography
Index
