The Rights of Nature: A History of Environmental Ethics (History of American Thought and Culture)

Book Description

Charting the history of contemporary philosophical and religious beliefs regarding nature, Roderick Nash focuses primarily on changing attitudes toward nature in the United States. His work is the first comprehensive history of the concept that nature has rights and that American liberalism has, in effect, been extended to the nonhuman world.

Customer Reviews:

A great intellectual history of the environmental movement.......2006-08-08

The Rights of Nature is primarily written as an intellectual history of the progression of environmentalist thought in western civilization. In the book, Nash seeks to frame environmentalism and the concept of the rights of nature as being intrinsic to the progression of the liberal democratic tradition. The narrative of his study traces the development of expanding notions of rights in the context of western thought as they apply to non-human life forms and the environment itself.

In order to build a foundation for his study, Nash traces ethical thought concerning nature all the way back to the origins of Judeo-Christian theology and later to the development of the scientific method. Nash traces the origins of the disconnection between humans and nature in western culture to the biblical teachings and especially the book of Genesis, which theologians have used for centuries as an ethical justification for mankind's dominion over nature, citing verses in which God gives mankind dominion over all earthly lifeforms. This disconnection was further exacerbated by the scientific revolution. Nash cites the ethical thought of early scientists such as Rene Descartes as being responsible for this further disconnection. The scientific method was based on the deconstruction of notions of interconnections in nature and built around the ability of humans to isolate the component parts of life in order to serve the needs of humanity. Nash states that Descartes was responsible for "providing a general philosophy of the irrelevance of ethics to the human-nature relationship" (p.17).

After a brief establishment of origins, Nash moves on to the effect that the 17th and 18th century "democratic" revolutions in countries such as France, England and the United States had on the expansion of ethics to a wider area. Nash cites extremely influential philosophers of democratic liberalism such as John Locke and John Stuart Mill as providing one of the early expansions of ethical thought to include selected members of the animal kingdom. Locke advocated an ethical position toward domestic animals and wild animals whereby their abuse would constitute a breech of ethics. His position, as Nash states, still was predicated on an anthropocentric and utilitarian notion of the importance of refraining from the abuse of animals. Locke believed that people "who delight in the suffering and destruction of Inferior creatures, will not...be very compassionate, or benign to those of their own kind" (p.19). Although Locke's argument assigned to animals the right to freedom from abuse, it was based upon how this freedom would benefit humanity and was not based on any type of belief in animals inherent right to exist free from abuse.

The difference between anthropocentric and biocentric thinking in regards to the expansion of ethics to concern plants and animals is a central focus of Nash's book. Although Locke and others of his time period were enmeshed in anthropocentric thinking, there were others who were not. Two of the most important and well known examples of philosophers who did not subscribe to this anthropocentric way of viewing nature were Henry David Thoreau and John Muir. Both of these thinkers advocated for the expansion of ethics to include the ecosystem in its totality - plant, animal, or inanimate object - Thoreau and Muir viewed all of nature as having an inherent right to exist, free from human inflicted destruction. In this sense, both of these men were early examples (in western thought) of the shift from anthropocentric arguments for the preservation of nature, which are based on nature's benefit to humanity, to an ecocentric or biocentric argument, which views all the component parts of any ecosystem as having an inherent right to exist for their own sake. Nash quotes Thoreau: "The earth I tread on is not a dead, inert mass; it is a body, has a spirit, is organic and fluid to the influence of its spirit" (p.37).

During this time period, segments of the scientific community also began to move away from the Cartesian view that held nature to be a conglomeration of mass to be manipulated,
existing solely for the purpose of experimentation and human benefit. Evolutionary biologists such as Charles Darwin and, later, anarcho-biologist Peter Kropotkin, developed theories of interconnections within nature, and most importantly the realization, in Darwin's words, that there was "no fundamental difference between man and the higher mammals" (p.42). Such theories of nature as an interconnected system of which humans were a part were revolutionary in western culture and served to severely destabilize the basis upon which the Judeo-Christian theologians were able to defend the notion of humans as separate from nature.

This new shift in philosophical and scientific views of nature and its relation to humanity gave rise to the discipline of Ecology and also managed to trickle its way into the minds of some theologians of the period who developed a perspective known as Ecotheology. Ecologists such as Alfred Whitehead, Albert Schweitzer, Aldo Leopold, and Rachel Carson began to develop various formulations concerning the rights of nature, all of which shared the common perspective of the earth as an interconnected ecosystem of which humans were a part. Ecotheologians such as Richard Baer sought to interpret the Bible to mandate that humans take on the role of stewards and protectors of all of God's creation. However, there still remained a division between those Ecologists and Philosophers who viewed humans as the benevolent stewards or lords of nature and those Ecologists who were developing the ideas which would later lead to Deep Ecology - a position that advocates an ecological relativism/egalitarianism in which humanity is viewed as being neither more, nor less, important or deserving of ethical consideration than any other life form.

The Deep Ecologists, such as Arne Naess, George Sessions, and Bill Devall, developed an ecocentric philosophy that was not only anti-anthropocentric, but was holistic in its view of the interconnections between all living and inanimate forms of matter in the ecosystem. The Deep Ecological perspective viewed all of nature's component parts as creating a whole that was greater than any of its individual members. They viewed all of nature - plant, animal or stone - as having inherent purpose and the inherent right to exist for its own sake. Deep Ecologist John Rodman coined the term "sentientism" to deride earlier environmentalists who did not take into consideration the rights of non-living elements of the ecosystem. The essential Deep Ecological ethic was that any life form (including humans) only had the right to kill or manipulate its environment to serve its vital needs, any such killing or manipulation to serve wants or conveniences became unethical.

All of this theological and philosophical pondering of the question of nature's rights inevitably gave rise to actions with the intent of backing up the words. Nash positions the birth of the environmental movement as having occurred in the 1960s, coinciding with other movements for liberation during the time period. Nash describes a progression of environmental action where defense of nature was first mounted through the courts and other legal means. Lawyers such as Christopher Stone initiated the precedent of representing forests, trees, and animals as plaintiffs in lawsuits against corporations and government entities who sought to destroy their habitat. Some of these legal battles were won. However, despite such federal laws as the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Marine Mammal protection act of 1972, and the Endangered Species act of 1973, the right to profit from the destruction of ecosystems was still being privileged over the inherent right of nature to exist for its own sake. Forests were still being clear-cut, rivers were still being dammed, and animal populations were still being endangered by the destruction of critical habitat. Utilizing notions of civil disobedience stretching back to Thoreau, groups such as Green Peace, Earth First, the Sea Shepard Society, and the Animal Liberation Front were formed to take direct action against those who would seek to destroy any component of the ecosystem for profit. While groups such as Green Peace remained within the non-violent, civil disobedience tradition, others such as Earth First, Sea Shepard and the Animal Liberation Front incorporated the tactic of property destruction to help achieve the liberation of life from human civilization. Earth First engaged in tree-sits and blockades to prevent the cutting of forests, the Sea Shepard society bombed and sunk whaling ships, and the Animal Liberation Front embarked on a series of break-ins where animals were liberated from their confinement in testing laboratories and fur farms.

Unavoidably, this review leaves out many of the thinkers and activists whose thoughts and actions were treated by Nash in his study. The Rights of Nature is an important book of intellectual as well as activist history and should not go unread by anyone wishing to get a general overview of the various strands of environmental thought in western civilization. However, Nash's book does contain one important shortcoming from a philosophic perspective. The narrative of Nash's study is one of linear progress - whereby environmental thought moves gradually in an evolution of enlightenment, or in Nash's words an "expansion of the circle of ethics." In addition, Nash portrays all of the thinkers and activists in his book as being part of the American tradition of liberalism stretching back to the Declaration of Independence. Aside from the inherent American exceptionalism in this belief, Nash is also maintaining the myth of progress that has been the foundation upon which all environmental destruction has been based and justified. His framing of radical environmental groups such as Earth First and the A.L.F as being part of the tradition of American liberalism does their causes a great disservice - for the methods and goals of these groups are inherently seeking to transcend and revolt against the limitations of American liberalism.

'right'-ly needed natural history.......2004-01-21

This book, as all of Prof. Nash's writings, serves as the standard to compare against all others in the growing field of environmental theory and related scholarship. Nash expands upon his codex of natural "rights" in relation to America's foremost natural thinker - Thoreau - in his Afterword to my recently published book "Deep Immersion: Thoreau's Engagement with Water."

thoughtful, intensive, well-written.......1998-10-14

This is a very informative and crisply written history of environmental thought and politics in the U.S., from John Muir to Peter Singer. It offers a great deal of thoughtful commentary, for example on the gradual shift in focus from tangible benefits for humans (underlying the conservation and national parks movement circa 1900) to inherent rights of nature itself (signalled e.g. by the Endangered Species Act). It's not hard to see that Nash is sympathetic to many of these causes, and clearly this book isn't for folks who prefer to view things in strictly economic terms, but still it is quite well-balanced in tone, and the scholarship is really impressive. I highly recommend it to anyone interested at all in the environmental movement, or American intellectual history generally, or simply looking for some thought-provoking reading. 220 pp., plus 50 pp. of notes.

Wolves and Human Communities: Biology, Politics, and Ethics

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Thought provoking
Informative commentary by leading contributors and experts

Wolves and Human Communities: Biology, Politics, and Ethics

Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Animal Rights | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 155963829X

Book Description

Like wolf restoration activities in the West, the proposal to reintroduce wolves into the Adirondacks has generated intense public debate. The idea of returning top predators to settled landscapes raises complicated questions on issues ranging from property rights to wildlife management to obligations to present and future generations.

Wolves and Human Communities brings together leading thinkers and writers from diverse fields-including Timothy Clark, Daniel Kemmis, L. David Mech, Mary Midgley, Ernest Partridge, Steward T.A. Pickett, Joseph Sax, Rodger Schlickeisen, and others-to address the complex ethical, biological, legal, and political concerns surrounding wolf reintroduction. Contributors specifically explore the social, cultural, and ecological values that come into play in the debate, as they examine:

the views of stakeholders in the Adirondack decision
historical trends in public perception of restoration
the legal and policy context for species preservation, and the challenges to the current system of property law
biological and political lessons learned from Yellowstone, Isle Royale, and the Great Lakes states
the meaning of wildness, both in ourselves and the wolf

The final chapter by Niles Eldredge takes the point of view of evolutionary time and ecological scale, challenging us to develop a new consciousness regarding our position in the natural world.

Wolves and Human Communities offers a thought-provoking examination of interactions between human and wild communities, and represents an important contribution to debates over species reintroduction for policymakers, researchers, ecologists, sociologists, lawyers, ethicists, philosophers, and local residents.

Customer Reviews:

Thought provoking.......2003-04-20

An excellent book for those interested not only in wolf conservation, but for those interested in the ongoing debate over the role of humans in the natural community. The various authors each bring in uniqe perspectives and ideas about what should and should not be human responsibilites towards shaping the ecosystems we live in. I was impressed with the great variety of opinions and ideas that are in this book regarding wolf conservation. This book definitely made me think about my ethical, social, and political values and will no doubt continue to help shape these values in the future when I re-read the essays in here.

Informative commentary by leading contributors and experts.......2001-05-23

Wolves And Human Communities: Biology, Politics, And Ethics is a compendium of informative commentary by leading contributors and experts in the field of wolf restoration activities in the American west. These essays address complex ethical, biological, legal, and political concerns surrounding wolf reintroduction. The contributors specifically comment on the social, cultural, and ecological values that are a part of the on-going national debate. Specially addressed are the views of stakeholders in the Adirondack decision; historical trends in public perception of wolf restoration; the legal and policy context for species preservation; biological and political lessons gleaned from the Yellowstone, Isle Royal, and Great Lakes states wolf restoration experiments; and the meaning of wilderness in both humans the wolves. Wolves And Human Communities is a seminal, significant, highly recommended contribution that will be greatly appreciated by environmental and animal rights activists, ecologists, as well as wolf population and habitat restorationists.

THE RIGHTS OF NATURE a History of Environmental Ethics

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THE RIGHTS OF NATURE a History of Environmental Ethics
Roderick Frazier Nash
Manufacturer: University of Wisconsin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000JV7S1Y

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Alpenblumen. Die häufigsten Arten erkennen und bestimmen.
Elfrune Wendelberger
Manufacturer: BLV Verlagsgesellschaft mbH
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

All German Books | German | Foreign Language Books | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 3405151058

Book Description

Just in time for foliage season, this savvy guide covers all the best weekend getaways within five hours of Boston, from Nantucket to the North Shore, from the Berkshires to the Green Mountains of Vermont. Quaint small towns, sophisticated country inns, elegant spas, ski resorts, dramatic coastal drives, antiquing, hiking, and farmstands: They're all included in this newest addition to the Wonderful Weekends series. You'll find details on hundreds of inns, bed-and-breakfasts, resorts, and restaurantsa selective list of the very best the region has to offer, all personally selected by Marilyn Wood and reviewed with her sophisticated style. Anyone in the Boston area who's looking for romance, a few days in the great outdoors, or just a place to unwind will find the perfect getaway in this guide. Residents will treasure and trust this guide for planning weekends year-round, and visitors will find it a sophisticated companion to their explorations of New England.

Customer Reviews:

Stands out among New England B&B Books.......2000-02-20

Among the MANY B&B guides to the Northeast, I found this one the most helpful for deciding where to go from Boston. Helfpul facts include travel times to the destinations, Nantucket vs. Martha's Vineyard, and other off-the beaten track locales (outside of Massachusetts). The book has helpful editorial, but more meaty that the general "quaint inn, hospitable couple serves muffins".

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Frommers Wonderful Weekends From Boston
Frommers
Manufacturer: Macmillan Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8WQZK

Book Description

In Situ hybridization allows the visualization of specific DNA/RNA sequences in individual cells in tissue sections, single cells, or chromosome preparations, and is an especially important method for studying DNA and RNA in heterogeneous cell populations. This book delves into in situ hybridization methods through the use of light microscopy used by molecular biologists, pathologists, geneticists, and biochemists. It will also appeal to research scientists who are interested in visualizing methods for nucleic acids and proteins. The book features a two-column layout for protocols/principles, simplifies the techniques and offers many schemes and tables to help the reader choose the best procedure.

In Situ Hybridization in Light Microscopy

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In Situ Hybridization in Light Microscopy
Gerard Morel
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6D6Z2

Book Description

Provides an introduction to the nature, formation and occurrence, stability, propagation, and uses of suspensions in the petroleum industry. It focuses on the applications of the principles of particle dispersions, with attention given to practical processes and problems. Among the topics discussed are suspensions in porous media; near-well and oilwell applications; and suspensions in surface operations. The book also illustrates how to understand, make, and use desirable suspensions and how to approach destabilizing, or preventing the occurrence of undesirable suspensions.

Book Description

For over a hundred years, the theory of water waves has been a source of intriguing and often difficult mathematical problems. Virtually every classical mathematical technique appears somewhere within its confines. Beginning with the introduction of the appropriate equations of fluid mechanics, the opening chapters of this text consider the classical problems in linear and nonlinear water-wave theory. This sets the stage for a study of more modern aspects, problems that give rise to soliton-type equations. The book closes with an introduction to the effects of viscosity. All the mathematical developments are presented in the most straightforward manner, with worked examples and simple cases carefully explained. Exercises, further reading, and historical notes on some of the important characters in the field round off the book and make this an ideal text for a beginning graduate course on water waves.

Book Description

Three different ways to approach Faulkner, each of them representative of his work as a whole. Includes "Spotted Horses," "Old Man," and his famous "The Bear."

Customer Reviews:

The Bear.......2003-11-18

This was a challenging story, like all works of Faulkner. But also a very rewarding story. When you finish this one you feel like you have been somewhere... truly immersed in a time period... truly immersed in a family.
No author, ever... has had the knack of creating a world of ordinary people so expertly intertwined throughout his novels. Faulkner either by design or accident (I doubt that??) has created a rich tapestry in his books, of characters subtlely connected by time and circumstance.
I have read The Sound and the Fury and most of Light in August; and it is not difficult to see the connections in just these two books plus the short story The Bear. Everything I have chanced to read by this amazing author has had careful, deep, intricate connections to the other works.
I know this is a well known fact... but the way in which Faulkner executes it, leaves me amazed each and every time I encounter it.
The Bear is a coming of age story about Ike McCaslin. It traces his development to a young man through several vingettes. Each time we see him he is involved in a hunt. That is until the last 2 sections in which we see him at age 21 looking back on his family history and discussing his right to the land. Once we see him as a young boy and then onward into his teenage years.
The story revolves around an aged bear who roams the forests and swamps where they hunt. It is interesting to see Ike develop as a hunter and man, as the hunters get closer and closer to the old bear.
There are many rich characters in this story.... far to many for me to touch on in this short review.
A big theme that impressed me in this one was how our personal history is inexticably tied to the land we grow up on. Ike McCaslin was, "who" he was because of where he was from, and he could never escape that fact.
Faulkner was an author unafraid to delve into the scriptures in developing his ideas. I believe his use of scriptural narratives only serves to strengthen his work. What he says, rings with authority when he uses Abraham, Adam and Eve as illustrations. He expertly uses the story of Abrahams travels to the promised land to show how his characters have squandered their "rights" to the land they grew up on... their "promised land".
There is no doubt William Faulkner knew how to put a story together. Any of his works, beg to be read again and again. I will surely be picking this one up again... I recommend it to anyone who loves books! William Faulkner is a giant in the world of literature!

A critical look at The Bear.......2003-02-14

Among Faulkner's best work, The Bear is more than a simple story of the hunt for an ellusive bear. Faulkner uses the backdrop of the hunt in 19th century Mississippi to show the progress his protagonist, Ike McCaslin, makes towards the unltimate achievement of man. Faulkner was convinced of the godd that man is capable of; Ike, the typical Faulkner youth seen in other works, shows this idea in full detail.
Ike begins his hunt as a young man, growing to accept the ways of nature as taught to him by a fallen Indian chief. The connotations of a fallen race abound in the story, yet they are no more obvious than in the detailed fourth chapter. Readers are advised not to merely skim this section; it remains one of the best testaments to Faulkner's ability to create some of the most complex material of the 20th century.

Three short novels by America's greatest writer........2002-08-06

Three Famous Short Novels gathers together three long and diverse works by America's greatest writer (that's my opinion, others my contest it, I will only agree to disagree). Spotted Horses is a humorous tale culled from the pages of The Hamlet, the first novel in the famous Snopes Family Trilogy. The Bear is the expanded version of the somber and mythic hunting story about the killing a legendary bear that means so much more than just that. The final story is the exciting adventure yarn Old Man and was one half of the two conjoined novellas that made up The Wild Palms (aka If I Forget Thee, Jerusalem). Although each story has more power than many writers have in their entire output, they acheive even more when woven into the wide fabric of Faulkner's far reaching, generations spanning Jefferson, Mississippi. Required reading.

Not for children.......2001-10-29

If you expected Faulkner's "The Bear" to be as difficult as "Pat the Bunny" you will be deeply disappointed. High school teachers may assign it in segments to English classes, but it is at heart an adult story, with deep seams of place and poetry. In this coming of age novella, the relationship between the boy Isaac and Old Ben the bear takes place against the backdrop of threatened forest land. Faulkner's passionate writing about the value of the woods rings true for nature conservationists today. The lengthy section on Civil War ghosts and the equivocality of inheritance, often considered an intrusion within the main narrative, also rewards careful reading. As for Faulkner's infamous run-on sentences -- well, here they are on full steam ahead, and even Faulkner's machismo is forgiveable in the context of his marvellous sentences.

Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses, Old Man, the Bear

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Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses, Old Man, the Bear
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

The Great Gatsby

ASIN: B000ETTNLO

Product Description

3 Famous Faulkner Short Novels: The Bear, Spotted Horses, Old Man

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Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses / Old Man / The Bear
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Vintage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses Old Man The Bear
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Vintage Books/Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

The Bear, Old Man, and Spotted Horses: Three Famous Short Novels

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The Bear, Old Man, and Spotted Horses: Three Famous Short Novels
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Perfection Learning Prebound
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

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three famous short novels--spotted horses--old man--the bear
william faulkner
Manufacturer: Vintage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Three Famous Short Novels Spotted Horse, Old Man, The Bear

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Three Famous Short Novels Spotted Horse, Old Man, The Bear

Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Three Famous Short Novels, Spotted Horses/ Old Man/ the Bear

Manufacturer: Vintage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000CI5AF0

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Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses, Old Man, the Bear
William Faulkner
Manufacturer: Random House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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