Loving Nature: Towards an Ecology of EmotionAs the full effects of human activity on Earth's life-support systems are revealed by science, the question of whether we can change, fundamentally, our relationship with nature becomes increasingly urgent. Just as important as an understanding of our environment, is an understanding of ourselves, of the kinds of beings we are and why we act as we do. In Loving Nature Kay Milton considers why some people in Western societies grow up to be nature lovers, actively concerned about the welfare and future of plants, animals, ecosystems and nature in general, while others seem indifferent or intent on destroying these things. Drawing on findings and ideas from anthropology, psychology, cognitive science and philosophy, the author discusses how we come to understand nature as we do, and above all, how we develop emotional commitments to it. Anthropologists, in recent years, have tended to suggest that our understanding of the world is shaped solely by the culture in which we live. Controversially Kay Milton argues that it is shaped by direct experience in which emotion plays an essential role. The author argues that the conventional opposition between emotion and rationality in western culture is a myth. The effect of this myth has been to support a market economy which systematically destroys nature, and to exclude from public decision making the kinds of emotional attachments that support more environmentally sensitive ways of living. A better understanding of ourselves, as fundamentally emotional beings, could give such ways of living the respect they need. |
Contents
I | 2 |
II | 3 |
III | 10 |
V | 11 |
VI | 13 |
VII | 14 |
VIII | 17 |
IX | 21 |
XXXII | 75 |
XXXIII | 76 |
XXXIV | 79 |
XXXV | 80 |
XXXVI | 81 |
XXXVII | 83 |
XXXVIII | 85 |
XXXIX | 88 |
X | 23 |
XI | 25 |
XII | 28 |
XIII | 29 |
XIV | 33 |
XV | 35 |
XVI | 36 |
XVII | 38 |
XVIII | 39 |
XIX | 42 |
XX | 44 |
XXI | 46 |
XXII | 50 |
XXIII | 57 |
XXIV | 58 |
XXV | 60 |
XXVI | 62 |
XXVII | 64 |
XXVIII | 66 |
XXIX | 68 |
XXX | 70 |
XXXI | 72 |
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Common terms and phrases
action Alastair McIntosh Animal Aid anthropologists argued arguments assumed Barbalet based identification Bateson beauty behaviour biodiversity biophilia biophilia hypothesis birds Cape Breton Island Chapter cognitive common sense concern conservationists constructionist context Damasio debate deep ecologists depends described discourse discussed domain-specific ecological ecosystems emotion and rationality entities environment environmental epistemology Goodin Hornborg human ibid ideas identity impersonal understandings implies important individual Ingold innate instance interaction interest kinds knowledge learning mechanisms living meaning Mi'kmaq moral motivation Naess natural things nature and natural nature conservation nature protection nature protectionists Neisser non-human animals objects ontological organizations ourselves particular perception person-based identification personhood quarry refer relationship religious representations rights and welfare role RSPB ruddy ducks sacred sacredness science and religion scientific scientists seen self-realization social species suggest theory of mind understandings of nature western culture whales white-headed duck wildlife