Ecophilosophy in a World of Crisis: Critical realism and the Nordic Contributions

by Roy Bhaskar (Editor), Petter Naess (Editor), Karl Georg Høyer (Editor)

Overview

 

Building on its origins at a seminar in Oslo organized by two of the editors, this book combines classic texts of Nordic ecophilosophy and the original contributions of those influenced by this tradition to　 present the view that critical realism is indeed a worthy intellectual tradition to carry forward and further develop the work of the founders of Nordic ecophilosophy.

It was clear at the seminar that there was a promising convergence of interests and themes in the two approaches; while at the same time, within the Nordic ecophilosophical tradition, there was appreciation of the capacity of critical realism, with its provision　 of a robust philosophical ontology and generation of totalizing immanent critiques of Western philosophy, to provide an expansive and secure home for the development of ecophilosophical work generally.

If there is a single overarching theme of critical realist philosophy, it surely must be that of the unity of theory and practice, which Bhaskar, following Hegel, has also called "seriousness". This makes the applicability, relevance and actionability of critical realism key considerations for critical realists. There can be no doubt that this concern was shared fully by the Nordic ecophilosophers; and this quality of　 "seriousness" is a striking feature of the Nordic contributions presented in this book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781136621543
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	10/04/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	236
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Roy Bhaskar is the originator of the philosophy of critical realism, and the author of many acclaimed and influential works including A Realist Theory of Science, The Possibility of Naturalism, Scientific Realism and Human Emancipation, Dialectic: The Pulse of Freedom, Plato Etc., From Science to Emancipation and (with Mervyn Hartwig) The Formation of Critical Realism. He is an editor of Critical Realism: Essential Readings and Interdisciplinarity and Climate Change and was the founding chair of the Centre for Critical Realism. He is currently a World Scholar at the University of London Institute of Education.

Karl-Georg Høyer is Professor and Research Director at Oslo University College. He holds a Master’s Degree in technology and a PhD in social sciences with a dissertation on "Sustainable Mobility". Most of Høyer’s research is related to sustainable development, with a main focus on transport and energy.

Petter Næss is Professor in Urban Planning at Aalborg University, Denmark, with part-time position at Oslo University College, Norway. Main research interests: land use and travel; impacts and driving forces of urban development; philosophy of science. His most recent book is Urban Structure Matters (Routledge, 2006).

Table of Contents

1. Introductory Perspectives. By: (Roy Bhaskar),Karl G. Høyer and Petter Næss, 2. Critical realism in resonance with Nordic ecophilosophy: ecophilosophical themes in the development of critical realism By: Roy Bhaskar, 3. Nature, Technology and Environmental Crisis By: Arne Johan Vetlesen, 4. Towards an Ecophilosophy. The Nordic Contributors, By: Karl G. Høyer, 5. A Biosophic Perspective. Humans as a Tragic Species, By: Peter Wessel Zapffe, 6. The Deep Ecological Movement: Some Philosophical Aspects By: Arne Næss, 7. Gaia versus Servoglobe By: Sigmund Kvaløy Setereng, 8. The Myths of Progress, By: Georg Henrik von Wright, 9. The Extension of Time and the Order of Things By: Torsten Hägerstrand, 10. Human Rights and Ecology as Premises for Practical Standpoints By: Jon Wetlesen, 11. From Ecophilosophy to Degrowth,By: Karl G. Høyer and Petter Næss, 12. Ecophilosophy, Precaution, and Theory of Science, By: Karl G. Høyer, 13. Between Critical Realism and Nordic Ecophilosophy, By: Trond Jakobsen, 14. Selected titles, published in English, By: Karl G. Høyer and Petter Næss.

Editorial Reviews

"[This book] will appeal to philosophically informed and inquiring scientists, planners, geographers — all those of us who knowingly intervene in the world. […] The pleasure […] of this book lies in hearing the early ecophilosophers in their own voices together with today’s generation as they make sense of the same serious themes and concerns in the context of ever more pressing environmental issues using the structuring insights from critical realism." Sarah E. Cornell, Stockholm University, Sweden, in Journal of Critical Realism

From the Publisher