Reinventing Nature?: Responses To Postmodern Deconstruction [Paperback]

Michael E. Soule (Editor), Gary Lease (Editor), Alan Gussow (Contributor), Albert Borgmann (Contributor), Gary Paul Nabhan (Contributor), Kathryn Hayles (Contributor), David Graber (Contributor), Donald Worster (Contributor), Paul Shepard (Contributor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1559633115 | ISBN-13: 978-1559633116 | Publication Date: January 1, 1995 | Edition: 1

How much of science is culturally constructed? How much depends on language and metaphor? How do our ideas about nature connect with reality? Can nature be "reinvented" through theme parks and malls, or through restoration?"Reinventing Nature?" is an interdisciplinary investigation of how perceptions and conceptions of nature affect both the individual experience and society's management of nature. Leading thinkers from a variety of fields -- philosophy, psychology, sociology, public policy, forestry, and others -- address the conflict between perception and reality of nature, each from a different perspective. The editors of the volume provide an insightful introductory chapter that places the book in the context of contemporary debates and a concluding chapter that brings together themes and draws conclusions from the dialogue.In addition to the editors, contributors include Albert Borgmann, David Graber, N. Katherine Hayles, Stephen R. Kellert, Gary P. Nabhan, Paul Shepard, and Donald Worster.

Product Details

• Paperback: 203 pages
• Publisher: Island Press; 1 edition (January 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1559633115
• ISBN-13: 978-1559633116
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,126,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Response to Cronon, Uncommon Ground, April 23, 2007

By 

Festus (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Reinventing Nature?: Responses To Postmodern Deconstruction (Paperback)

This book was created as a response to William Cronon's edited volume, Uncommon Ground (1995). Cronon's book ultimately has stood the test of time better than this collection, but the two should always be read together. As a unit, they provide both a thoughtful collection of views on the changing definition of "nature" in American life and also a fine historical view of 1990s environmental thinking.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Examines the philosophical roots of our views on nature., August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Reinventing Nature?: Responses To Postmodern Deconstruction (Hardcover)

Essays by various authors from a symposia in California, Reinventing Nature looks at where our concepts of nature originate and how very different they can be. Several of the chapters explore some of the naive myths we hold about native peoples, their values, and attitudes toward the land and its resources. An excellent eye-opener for the general reader.