Overview

For close to four decades, Murray Bookchin's eco-anarchist theory of social ecology has inspired philosophers and activists working to link environmental concerns with a desire for a free and egalitarian society. Veins of social ecology have since emerged, both extending and challenging Bookchin's ideas. In this instructive book, the contributors contemplate the next steps in the development of social ecology. Topics covered include reassessing ecological ethics, combining social ecology and feminism, building decentralized communities, evaluating technology, relating theory to activism, and improving social ecology through interaction with other traditions.

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9781572303799

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'An intelligent and imaginative collection of essays that explore, from a multiplicity of viewpoints, the implications of Bookchin's pioneering work on social ecology...a challenging insight into the complexity of green political thought and its interconnections with influential radical ideologies of the 20th century.' - Michael Freeden, Oxford University

Andrew Light has assembled an intelligent and imaginative collection of essays that explore, from a multiplicity of viewpoints, the implications of Bookchin's pioneering work on social ecology. This book offers searching appraisals of Bookchin's work and enlightened modifications of his central arguments. It furnishes the reader with a mature representation of green political and social thought, providing a challenging insight into the complexity of green political thought and its interconnections with influential radical ideologies of the 20th century. This is an important and thought-provoking book on one of the most controversial thinkers in the ecological tradition. --Michael Freeden, Professor of Politics, Mansfield College, Oxford University, Oxford, UK <br> Murray Bookchin has defended his idea of social ecology against opponents real and imagined for over 30 years. The vigor of this defense has sometimes left even sympathizers wondering how much space there is for dissent, and for the development of his seminal work. This admirably edited volume is in the best tradition of critical appreciation--slavish imitation is passed over in favor of constructive engagement. The result is an indispensable book that shows that Bookchin needs his critics. --Andrew Dobson, Senior Lecturer in Politics, Keele University, Keele, UK <br> Debate, dialogue, or denunciation--Bookchin's strategies for articulating social ecology have alienated many listeners. But social ecology's utopian vision of an ecological society, and its concepts of citizenship, democracy, freedom, and unity-in-diversity, are greater than a single man. By distinguishing the man from the theory, Light's volume reveals thelasting impact of social ecology on successive generations of radical ecologists. --Greta Gaard, Fairhaven College, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington; author of Ecological Politics: Ecofeminists and the Greens <br>

Author Information

Andrew Light is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He has published numerous articles on environmental philosophy, political philosophy, philosophy of technology, and philosophy of film. The editor or coeditor of five books, including Environmental Pragmatism (with Eric Katz), he is also founding coeditor (with Jonathan Smith) of Philosophy and Geography and Managing Editor of the Radical Philosophy Review.

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