Modern Environmentalist theory: toward an understanding of our relationship w/ nature

Proposal: A critique of modern environmentalist theory.

There are a plethora of environmentalist theories and related philosophies, from Deep Ecology to EcoFeminism, groups ranging from Earth First! to Wise Use (arguably an environmentalist group- but begging the definition of environmentalist). These theories have filtered down into the popular conciousness in a vague manner such that there seems to be a notion that to conserve is good, to polute is bad, floating within a very weak or sometimes non-existant theorectical framework. There seems to be an interest and a need for some sort of address- to attempt to understand what it is that environmentalist theories are about, how we can evaluate them, and how we can integrate them into our lives.. My vague outline is as follows:

A cataloguing of major environmentalist theories.

Probalby further broken down along a spectrum of Deep Ecology to conservationist, though the nature of the spectrum will have to be further defined in progress. Included here may be some evaluation of internal consistancy and logic.

A section on reasons for not being an environmentalist, and non traditional environmentalist groups such as Wise Use.

Again included here may be some evaluation of internal consistancy and logic. This section of course necesitates some sort of definition of what it is to be an environmentalist. This is a problem that I think will be addressed in depth within this particular section. Though perhaps it will be more appropriate to address this in an introductory section, or a chapter unto itself after the introduction.

A section on suggestions for synthesis

I don't know if this is a new theory section, or if this is a suggestion for being aware of varying approaches and using the best theoretical approach for the particular context. I don't even know for sure what I mean by that. This is I guess a section on perhaps what we can draw from these various theories about our relationship with nature, and ways of thinking about that relationship.

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annotated bib. and further project conceptions of "Modern Environmentalist Theory..."

Annotated Bibliography

Bookchin, Murray. The Philosophy of Social Ecology: Essays on Dialectical Naturalism. Black Rose Books: Montreal, 1995.
This book attempts to begin to answer the questions, “what is nature? What is humanity’s place in nature? And what is the relationship of society to the natural world?” Among the useful aspects of this book are definitions of the words nature, society and reason, as well as history, civilization, and progress, as one of the leading thinkers of Deep Ecology defines them.

Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Houghton Mifflin: Boston, 1962.
Arguably the text which made environmentalism an issue. I expect this book to give some important insights into the early environmental philosophies.

Carter, Alan. “Towards a Green Political Theory.” The Politics of Nature: Explorations in Green Political Theory. Eds. Andrew Dobson and Paul Lucardie. Routledge: London, 1993. pp. 39-62.
An attempt to elucidate the political aspects of green party politics. Carter cites some of the values of the Greens as espoused in their politics and traces their sources to feminism, socialism, and anarchism.

Commoner, Barry. The Closing Circle: Nature, Man, and Technology. Alfred A Knopf: New York, 1971.
This book is an early attempt at linking the environmental crisis and the social systems of which it is a part. It claims that an understanding of the environmental crisis illuminates the need for social changes which then contain the solution of the environmental crisis.

Davis, John. ed. The Earth First! Reader. Peregrine Smith Books: Salt Lake City, 1991.
This book is missing from the library (trans. I couldn’t find it and the reference desk was closed). I hope it will be an explicit anthology on aspects of Earth First!’s philosophy.

Devall, Bill and George Sessions. Deep Ecology. Peregrine Smith Books: Salt Lake City, 1985.
This book includes chapters on what is termed the “dominant worldview” -that of nature as unliving resource, etc.- and criticisms of that view. It then presents a summary of reformist responses to those criticisms. Also, there is an attempt at enumerating the principals of deep ecology.

Dobson, Andrew. “Critical Theory and Green Politics.” The Politics of Nature: Explorations in Green Political Theory. Eds. Andrew Dobson and Paul Lucardie. Routledge: London, 1993. pp. 190-209.
This essay will be used mostly for what can be gleaned about the theories of green politics. Green politics have a different angle than deep ecology, and such a distinction is important to draw out for both what it can inform us on green political theory and deep ecology.

Drengson, Alan. ed. The Deep Ecology Movement: An Introductory Anthology. North Atlantic Books: Berkeley, 1995.
Another one I couldn’t find. I have bad luck with D’s. I hope this book is exactly what the title says it is.

Estling, Ralph. “Deep Ecology or Deep Sanity?,” Skeptical Inquirer no. 18, (Fall 1994).
Still looking for this one.

Foreman, Dave. Confessions of an Eco-Warrior. Harmony Books: New York, 1991.
A book by one of the original Earth First!ers. This will be of great importance in understanding the philosophies of Deep Ecology and radical environmentalism.

Goldman, Michael. “Why I am Not an Environmentalist.” Adapted from a talk given during Earthday-1990 celebrations at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, April 19,1990. Phl. 205 reader, compiled by Michael Goldman. pp.31-71.
This essay will be one of the major critiques of environmentalism. Goldman identifies 8 major tenets of environmental ideology and attempts to refute them. He then offers alternative ways of thinking about these same issues. At this time it is uncertain as to how well these critiques will address Deep Ecology, or Ecofeminism.

Kheel, Marti. “Ecofeminism and Deep Ecology: Reflections on Identity and Difference.” Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. Eds. Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Ornstein. Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, 1990. pp.128-137.
This essay articulates the differences between Deep Ecology and Ecofeminism as a differing conception of the self, and thus the relation of self to the world. As usual with such essays, the articulation of differences helps in both understanding how the two are different and in understanding each philosophy on each’s own terms.

King, Ynestra. “Healing the Wounds: Feminism, Ecology, and the Nature/Culture Dualism.” Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. Eds. Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Ornstein. Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, 1990. pp. 106-121.
This article makes the connection- a basic tenet of feminist environmental/social critique- among social and ecological forms of domination. It claims a basic ambivalence about life itself as the root of the dualism.

Lee, Keekok. “To De-Industrialize- Is it so Irrational?” The Politics of Nature: Explorations in Green Political Theory. Eds. Andrew Dobson and Paul Lucardie. Routledge: London, 1993. pp. 105-117.
Beginning with an enumeration of the component values and meaning of the idea of industrialization and moving through a refutation of these values to an enumeration of the reasons why de-industrialization would not be irrational, this essay provides a simple, useful tool for highlighting some of the main values of green societal models. A drawback to this article is that it is somewhat unclear as to the level of “greenness” of the author.

Lovelock, J.E. Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1987.
An interesting argument for the earth as a living system. This book has supportive and useful theories for ecofeminists/deep ecologists. Yet, surprisingly there are a lot of very pro-technology sentiments. It perhaps provides a not quite explicitly articulated position of integration of a relatively deep ecology and human technology.

Lundberg, George A. Can Science Save Us? Phl. 205 reader. Compiled by Michael Goldman, 1997. Ch. 1 and 7.
These sections of Lundberg’s book do a good job of presenting the modern technocratic ideology that many environmentalists object to: namely that technology and increased reliance on technology can/will fix our problems.

Manes, Christopher. Green Rage: Radical Environmentalism and the Unmaking of Civilization. Little, Brown and Co.: Boston, 1990.
Admittedly in sympathy with radical environmentalism, this book “does purport to give the facts about {the radical environmental movement} and to offer an interpretation of their significance.” A brief account/history of “Reform” or what will probably be termed “shallow” environmentalism is given. Also included is a chapter on Earth First! and deep ecology, as well as a chapter on critics of this theory.

Merchant, Carolyn. The Death of Nature: Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution. Harper and Rowe: San Francisco, 1989.
This book is by one of the leading ecofeminist theoreticians. It contains sections on women and ecology, dominion over nature, Liebniz and Newton, and women on nature: Anne Conway and other philosophical feminists. Hopefully this last section will give some more idea of the breadth of feminist environmental theory.

Merchant, Carolyn. “Ecofeminism and Feminist Theory.” Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. Eds. Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Ornstein. Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, 1990. pp. 100-105.
The title of this article sums it up. It is an articulation of the way ecofeminism has grown out of feminism, as well as an attempt at charting how various feminisms think about or relate to the environment

Merchant, Carolyn. Radical Ecology: The Search for a Livable World. Routledge: New York, 1992.
A very useful text with sections on Deep Ecology, Spiritual Ecology, Social Ecology, Green Politics and Ecofeminism. Super.

Miller, Alan S. Gaia Connections: An Introduction to Ecology, Ecoethics, and Economics. Rowman and Littlefield: Savage, Maryland, 1991.
Useful principally for the section entitled “Environmental Ethics,” which has four case studies: shallow, deep, and deepest ecology, and ecofeminism.

Nash, Roderick Frazier. The Rights of Nature: A History of Environmental Ethics. University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, 1989.
This book is written by a figurative, though well studied, scholar of Aldo Leopold. It includes sections on the ethical birth of radical environmentalism and the rights of nature as an outgrowth of the idea of natural rights. An especially interesting chapter may be “Ecology Widens the Circle,” which talks to the mixing of environmental and social concerns.

Plant, Judith. “Searching for Common Ground: Ecofeminism and Bioregionalism.” Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. Eds. Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Ornstein. Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, 1990. pp.155-164.
A brief introduction to bioregionalism as an environmentalism, and an articulation of commonalties of fundamental tenets with ecofeminism.

Rolston, III, Holmes. Environmental Ethics: Duties to and Values in the Natural World. Temple University Press: Philadelphia, 1988.
This book is on order from Hamilton campus. I’m not exactly sure what to expect from it.

Roszak, Theodore. Where the Wasteland Ends: Politics and Transcendence in Postindustrial Society. Celestial Arts: Berkeley, 1989.
There is so much in this book that can probably be used that it is difficult to know exactly what that will be. It may be critiques of “The Scientization of Culture,” or technocracy or the role of Francis Bacon.

Sale, Kirkpatrick. The Green Revolution: The American Environmental Movement 1962-1992. Hill and Wang: New York, 1993.
A good book to gain some historical perspective and cultural context for the emergence of environmental philosophies. Among the tools in this book is a time line for organizations, events, and legislation.

Skinner, B.F. Beyond Freedom and Dignity. Alfred A. Knopf: New York, 1971.
Perhaps the single strongest example of the scientific, atomistic, reductionistic approach to life, at least in the human realm. This book shows the extent to which such thinking- anathema to ecofeminists and Deep Ecologist, but perhaps still an environmentalism- has gone.

Spretnak, Charlene. “Ecofeminism: Our Roots and Flowering.” Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. Eds. Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Ornstein. Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, 1990. pp. 3-14.
An important source for the emergence of ecofeminism. This article does not explicitly draw out the tenets of ecofeminism. However, through a tracing of the history of ecofeminism and an appraisal of its current state it offers very useful insights into its core values.

Taylor, Paul W. Respect for Nature: A Theory of Environmental Ethics. Princeton University Press: Princeton, 1986.
This book was missing from the library. I hope it will turn up, as it may be a different tact of environmentalism. However, I may not use it as it seems I may be concentrating on Ecofeminism, Deep Ecology, and “shallow” environmentalisms as approaches to reconciling the human place with nature.

Warren, Karen J. ed. Ecological Feminist Philosophies. Indiana University Press: Bloomington, 1996.
This is an anthology which I have placed on recall. I know for sure that it contains an essay by Robert Sessions entitled, “Deep Ecology versus Ecofeminism: Healthy Differences or Incompatible Philosophies?”

Watson, Michael and David Sharpe. “Green Beliefs and Religion.” The Politics of Nature: Explorations in Green Political Theory. Eds. Andrew Dobson and Paul Lucardie. Routledge: London, 1993. pp. 210-228.
This chapter is concerned with the “beliefs concerning the fundamental nature of the {contemporary environmental predicament}, in particular its primary cause in human attitudes to nature and religion’s...” ambiguous or implicit, but recently changing, role in this respect.

Zimmerman, Michael E. “Deep Ecology and Ecofeminism: the Emerging Dialogue.” Reweaving the World: The Emergence of Ecofeminism. Eds. Irene Diamond and Gloria Feman Ornstein. Sierra Club Books: San Francisco, 1990. pp. 138-154.
A very important article in explaining fundamental differences between Deep Ecology and Ecofeminism. These two philosophies may be difficult to distinguish to those external to the “deep” environmental thought.

Zimmerman, Michael. ed. Environmental Philosophy: From Animal Rights to Radical Ecology. Prentice-Hall: New Jersey, 1993.
Another book on recall. I want this book to sort of be an anthology of environmental theories in a descending, shallow to deep, manner of organization. We’ll see what it turns out to be.

Fin de annotated bib.

I also have a (very) slightly more developed conception of the project:

My sources seem to be very radical in orientation. Perhaps what I will do is attempt to elucidate radical environmentalism from both ends of the spectrum (Deep Ecology/Ecofeminism to Wise Use/technocracy- admittedly my sources are still weak in this area). Then I will talk about how these opposing views inform our understanding of the human condition/place. I might look for some sort of potential for reconciliation. Along with this might be an attempt to predict, or rather to expose possible futures of the human relation with nature and the philosophical underpinnings as they will manifest themselves in the popular conciousness. Hmmm, there is definitely something here which I am very curious about but am not quite able to articulate (the most over used word in this progress report) yet. But I think it's coming.

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