Human Ecology: Following Nature's Lead [Hardcover]

Dean Frederick Steiner (Author), Richard T.T. Forman (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1559639954 | ISBN-13: 978-1559639958 | Publication Date: October 1, 2002 | Edition: 1

Human ecology is an emerging discipline that studies the interrelationships between humans and their environment, drawing on insights from biology, sociology, anthropology, geography, engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and conservation. This volume synthesizes the work of diverse, sometimes divergent, scholars to illustrate how human interactions can be understood as ecological relationships, using hierarchy as an organizing device. Frederick Steiner builds on the work of leading thinkers including Christopher Alexander, William Cronon, Clifford Geertz, James Lovelock, Eugene Odum, Paul Shepard, Anne Whiston Spirn, E.O. Wilson, Gerald Young, and others to present a historical and analytical examination of how humans interact with each other as well as with other organisms and their surroundings. The first two chapters summarize the development of this "new ecology" and the theory of human ecology. The remainder of the book provides an introduction to the major elements of human ecological theory including language, culture, and technology; structure, function, and change; edges and boundaries; interaction, integration, and institution; diversity; and adaptation. The chapters are organized hierarchically from the smallest scale to the largest with each chapter addressing a specific level as an ecosystem. The final chapter probes some of the ethical implications of this new field. The book brings together scholarship from the social and natural sciences as well as the environmental design arts to offer an overview of the field of human ecology and to show how the field may help us to envision our futures. While the approach is largely theoretical, it has broad policy and practical implications, and represents an important new work for anyone concerned with interactions between humans and the environment.

Editorial Reviews

Review

othe subjects of ÝSteinerAEs thinking and writing are far braoder than architecture and the other environmental planning design arts. To produce a new view of human ecology, he draws mainly from biology, sociology, anthropology, geography, engineering, architecture, landscape architecture, planning and conservation.o --Journal of Economic Issues

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559639954
• ISBN-13: 978-1559639958
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,382,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview of a lot of ideas..., April 26, 2003

By 

Jesse D. Walker (Logan, UT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Human Ecology: Following Nature's Lead (Hardcover)

Just finished the book, and am relatively impressed by it overall, while it obviously has a few weaknesses. Steiner divides the world hierarchically into chapters, starting at the smallest human scale (habitat) and working gradually up to a global scale. The book reads like an adademic work, and Steiner continually interrupts the flow of ideas with quotes and references to the work of others. It seems like his main goal was to include as many names of people as possible in the text (nearly every paragraph mentions someone new). The bibliography is lengthy. That does mean that if any particular concept appeals to the reader, they know exactly where it originated, and where to go to learn more, but makes the book more challenging to read. Intellectually engaging, perhaps.

Overall, a good summary of an emerging field, along with plenty of review, critique, and synthesis of ideas. I'd recommend the book to "sustainability" types, the conservation-minded, ecologists, and (especially) city and regional planners.

His main point: We, as humans, need to consider the environment and our relation to it. Especially as pertains to our everyday life experience.