Beyond environmentalism: a philosophy of nature

Abstract

Preface. Introduction: Why I Wrote This Book. Chapter 1: The Need for a Philosophy of Nature. 1.1 The Goal of the Book. 1.2 The Structure of the Book. 1.3 The Need for Objectivity. 1.4 The Need for Philosophy. 1.5 The Rise of Environmentalism. 1.6 Philosophy of Nature as a Path. Chapter 2: Environmentalism's Apocalyptic Assumption. 2.1 The Environmentalist Worldview. 2.2 Is There an Crisis? 2.3 Our Emotional Environment. Chapter 3: Environmentalism's Transcendent Objective. 3.1 The Environmentalist Value System. 3.2 Health as a Transcendent Objective. 3.3 Three Elements of Tragedy. Chapter 4: Environmentalism's Antihuman Bias. 4.1 Can Nature Do Any Harm? 4.2 Environmentalists on Humankind. 4.3 Is Modern Civilization Bad for Nature? 4.4 Environmentalists' Personal Values. 4.5 Environmentalism's Institutional Ethics. Chapter 5: Science, Environmentalism, and Science. 5.1 Environmentalism and Science. 5.2 The Rise of Science. 5.3 Science and Values. Chapter 6: Pure Science. 6.1 The Rise and Fall of Scientific Proof. 6.2 The Rise of Modeling. 6.3 Models and Truth. 6.4 Protecting Science's Value Neutrality. 6.5 The Value Neutrality of Science. 6.6 The Special Challenge Faced by Pure Science. Chapter 7: Nature and the Sacred. 7.1 Nature and Religion. 7.2 Christianity and the Environmental Crisis. 7.3 Science and the Sacred. 7.4 Beyond Religiosity. 7.5 The Naturally Sacred. 7.6 Is Accepting Responsibility for Nature Sacrilegious? Chapter 8: Nature and Romance. 8.1 Environmentalism and Romance. 8.2 Romance and Science. 8.3 Romance and Alienation. 8.4 The Classical Roots of Romanticism. 8.5 Logical Analysis of Romanticism. 8.6 The Balance of Nature Is a Romantic Fantasy. 8.7 The Ecosystem Is a Romantic Fantasy. 8.8 Our Sense of Alienation from Nature. Chapter 9: Nature and Values. 9.1 Natural Value. 9.2 The Value of Life Itself. 9.3 Are We Alienated From Nature? 9.4 Our Separation from--and Union with--Nature. 9.5 The Value of Freedom. Chapter 10: Backward or Forward? 10.1 Back to Nature: Leopold and Callicott. 10.2 The Environmentalist's Vilification of Domestic Animals. 10.3 The Environmentalist's Vilification of Human Domesticity. 10.4 Forward: Accepting Our Responsibility . 10.5 Forward: Our Unique Abilities . Chapter 11: A Vision of the Future. 11.1 Our Ongoing Role Reversal with Nature. 11.2 We Are the Emerging Nervous System of the Planet. 11.3 The Natural Virtues and Vices of Nervous Systems. 11.4 When It's Humankind versus Nature. 11.5 Our Right to Survive. 11.6 Our Unique Feelings of Kinship with Other Species. 11.7 A Code. Case Studies. Feature Boxes. References. Index.