Beyond the Land Ethic

J. Baird Callicott is Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies at the University of North Texas and is the current President of the International Society for Environmental Ethics. He is the author of many books, including In Defense of the Land Ethic, also published by SUNY Press.

"…this book is essential reading for any environmental philosopher, and will also be stimulating for thinkers in environmental management and green political theory. Callicott's writing is eloquent and thought-provoking, his ideas … broad in scope, highly engaging and impossible to ignore. Above all, one enjoys the spectacle of an original mind in constant development and questioning activity, grappling lucidly and philosophically with pressing practical issues." — Environmental Values"…worth reading for the intellectual challenge alone." — Environmental Practice"Writing in the same engaging style of earlier works, Callicott, the world's authority on Aldo Leopold, extends his environmental ethics and addresses his critics … Every philosopher, conservationist, and environmentalist should read this classic work." — Ethics"Callicott is among the top two or three environmental philosophers in the entire world. This collection of essays reminds me of WHY this is the case. His style is very engaging and interesting. He is by no means a dry author, but instead uses a number of rhetorical strategies to keep his readers awake and involved. I was really taken with his excellent essay on John Muir, for example. What a delight to follow the ins and outs of this intriguing—and convincing—argument." — Michael E. Zimmerman, Tulane University"Callicott's style is vivid, frank, often fun to read, and always clear. Each essay offers provocative ideas. The Introduction presents a straightforward and exciting assessment of the long-term intellectual and cultural significance of the field. Beyond the Land Ethic will be indispensable to those interested in environmental philosophy." — Susan J. Armstrong, Humboldt State University"A pleasure to read, this book is significant because it discusses issues that are central to environmental philosophy. Readers will be served well to have Callicott's current thinking available to them in a single book. I expect it to be the standard work used to refer to Callicott's more recent thought." — Peter Wenz, author of Environmental Justice

• Acknowledgments1 Introduction: Compass Points in Environmental PhilosophyI Practicing Environmental Ethics2 Environmental Philosophy Is Environmental Activism: The Most Radical and Effective Kind3 How Environmental Ethical Theory May Be Put into Practice4 Holistic Environment Ethics and the Problem of EcofascismII The Conceptual Foundations of the Land Ethic Revisited5 Just the Facts, Ma'am6 Can a Theory of Moral Sentiments Support a Genuinely Normative Environmental Ethic?7 Do Deconstructive Ecology and Sociobiology Undermine the Leopold Land Ethic?III Moral Monism Versus Moral Pluralism8 The Case against Moral Pluralism9 Moral Monism in Environmental Ethics DefendedIV Nature's Intrinsic Value10 Genesis and John Muir11 Rolston on Intrinsic Value: A Deconstruction12 Intrinsic Value in Nature: A Metaethical AnalysisV Ecological Metaphysics of Agriculture, Medicine, and Technology13 The Metaphysical Transition in Farming: From the Newtonian-Mechanical to the Eltonian-Ecological14 Environmental Wellness15 After the Industrial Paradigm, What?VI Toward a New Philosophy of Conservation16 Whither Conservation Ethics?17 Aldo Leopold's Concept of Ecosystem Health18 The Value of Ecosystem Health19 Ecological Sustainability as a Conservation ConceptBibliographyIndex