Description
HOW NATURE MATTERS presents an original theory of nature's value based on part-whole relations. James argues that when natural things have cultural value, they do not always have it as means to valuable ends. In many cases, they have value as parts of valuable wholes - as parts of traditions, for instance, or cultural identities. James develops his theory by investigating twelve real-world cases, ranging from the veneration of sacred trees to the hunting of dugongs. He also analyses some key policy-related debates and explores various fundamental issues in environmental philosophy, including the question of whether anything on earth qualifies as natural. This accessible, engagingly written book will be essential reading for all those who wish to understand the moral and metaphysical dimensions of environmental issues.
About the Author
Simon P. James is Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. He has written a number of articles on environmental philosophy as well as several books, including Zen Buddhism and Environmental Ethics, The Presence of Nature, and Environmental Philosophy: An Introduction.
Reviews
This admirably well-written book makes a convincing case for moving beyond the instrumental vs intrinsic value contrast when assessing nature's contributions to human meaning * Professor Simon Hailwood, University of Liverpool *
An accessible, erudite, and enlightening articulation of nature's value to human beings, offering an attractive alternative to standard accounts * Professor Allen Thompson, Oregon State University *
This readable and absorbing book captures the intimacy and richness of relations between people and nature, and how nature's meanings shape human well-being * Professor Emily Brady, Texas A&M University *
The author's concise, lucid argument makes a crucial contribution to environmental philosophy and the environmental humanities and could also to biology and ecology. * Ursula K.Heise, The Quarterly Review of Biology *
On the view James presents, to the extent that the meanings that features of nature have for us are part of who we are, nature has constitutive value. Spelling out that last clause in a way that both captures the philosophical subtlety of the relevant axiology and engages the real-world concerns that motivate the project is a substantial challenge. James pulls it off marvelously. * Kenneth Shockley, Environmental Ethics *
...this book, with its range and sensitivity of cultural reference, together with James's love of nature as it plays constitutive roles in making human cultures what they are, will revivify any reader's sense of how nature can still matter to us. * Thomas Greaves, Environmental Philosophy *
...How Nature Matters is the most detailed and carefully argued work among recent, and welcome, attempts to give the notion of nature's meanings a prominent place in environmental philosophy... It is a book that deserves to attract lively discussion. * David E. Cooper, Environmental Values *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198871613
Author Simon P. James
Format Hardback
Page Count 184
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 346g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 144mm * 14mm
About the Author
Simon P. James is Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. He has written a number of articles on environmental philosophy as well as several books, including Zen Buddhism and Environmental Ethics, The Presence of Nature, and Environmental Philosophy: An Introduction.
Reviews
This admirably well-written book makes a convincing case for moving beyond the instrumental vs intrinsic value contrast when assessing nature's contributions to human meaning * Professor Simon Hailwood, University of Liverpool *
An accessible, erudite, and enlightening articulation of nature's value to human beings, offering an attractive alternative to standard accounts * Professor Allen Thompson, Oregon State University *
This readable and absorbing book captures the intimacy and richness of relations between people and nature, and how nature's meanings shape human well-being * Professor Emily Brady, Texas A&M University *
The author's concise, lucid argument makes a crucial contribution to environmental philosophy and the environmental humanities and could also to biology and ecology. * Ursula K.Heise, The Quarterly Review of Biology *
On the view James presents, to the extent that the meanings that features of nature have for us are part of who we are, nature has constitutive value. Spelling out that last clause in a way that both captures the philosophical subtlety of the relevant axiology and engages the real-world concerns that motivate the project is a substantial challenge. James pulls it off marvelously. * Kenneth Shockley, Environmental Ethics *
...this book, with its range and sensitivity of cultural reference, together with James's love of nature as it plays constitutive roles in making human cultures what they are, will revivify any reader's sense of how nature can still matter to us. * Thomas Greaves, Environmental Philosophy *
...How Nature Matters is the most detailed and carefully argued work among recent, and welcome, attempts to give the notion of nature's meanings a prominent place in environmental philosophy... It is a book that deserves to attract lively discussion. * David E. Cooper, Environmental Values *
Book Information
ISBN 9780198871613
Author Simon P. James
Format Hardback
Page Count 184
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 346g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 144mm * 14mm
