The presence of nature : a study in phenomenology and environmental philosophy

"Are any nonhuman animals conscious? Why, if at all, should we strive to conserve natural environments? In what sense are we parts of nature? In this book, Simon James draws on a range of philosophical and literary sources to develop original answers to these and other questions, setting out a refreshingly new approach to environmental philosophy"--Provided by publisher. What is 'nature'? In what sense are humans parts of it? And why, if at all, should we strive to conserve it? Environmental issues raise a host of fascinating philosophical questions. Yet all too often these questions are tackled in an overly abstract way, one that fails to account for what it is like to experience the natural world. The Presence of Nature takes a different approach. Drawing on the philosophical tradition of phenomenology as well as a number of literary sources, Simon James takes a refreshingly new perspective on a range of topics, including animal consciousness, the moral imperative to conserve nature and the view that the natural world exists independently of human concerns. In so doing, he develops an original approach to environmental philosophy, one that takes seriously the various ways we encounter the natural world in the living of our lives Cover 1 Contents 6 Acknowledgements 7 Abbreviations 8 Introduction 10 1 Our Place in Nature 25 1.1 Being-in-the-world 25 1.2 Involvement 30 1.3 Inherence 39 2 Animal Minds 47 2.1 Cross-species intersubjectivity 47 2.2 The problem of animal minds 52 2.3 The lives of animals 64 3 Nature’s Value and Other Obsessions 74 3.1 How nature matters 74 3.2 Technology 78 3.3 The hegemony of values-thinking 89 4 Why Conserve Nature? 99 4.1 Phenomenology and moral normativity 99 4.2 Selfless attention to nature 112 4.3 Responses to some objections 118 5 Beyond the Human 126 5.1 Realism and anthropocentrism 126 5.2 The alterity of nature 129 5.3 The transhuman nature of perception 145 Conclusion 157 Bibliography 165 Index 172 A 172 B 172 C 172 D 173 E 173 F 173 G 173 H 173 I 174 J 174 K 174 L 174 M 174 N 175 O 175 P 175 R 175 S 175 T 176 U 176 V 176 W 176 Y 176 Z 176 Machine generated contents note: Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Our Place in Nature Animal Minds Nature's Value, and Other Obsessions Why Conserve Nature? Beyond the Human Conclusion Bibliography Index Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Our Place in Nature Animal Minds Nature's Value, and Other Obsessions Why Conserve Nature? Beyond the Human Conclusion Bibliography Index . "Are any nonhuman animals conscious? Why, if at all, should we strive to conserve natural environments? In what sense are we parts of nature? In this book, Simon James draws on a range of philosophical and literary sources to develop original answers to these and other questions, setting out a refreshingly new approach to environmental philosophy"--Note de l'éditeur

Are any nonhuman animals conscious? Why, if at all, should we strive to conserve natural environments? In what sense are we parts of nature? In this book, Simon James draws on a range of philosophical and literary sources to develop original answers to these and other questions, setting out a refreshingly new approach to environmental philosophy.

Front Matter....Pages i-viii Introduction....Pages 1-15 Our Place in Nature....Pages 16-37 Animal Minds....Pages 38-64 Nature’s Value and Other Obsessions....Pages 65-89 Why Conserve Nature?....Pages 90-116 Beyond the Human....Pages 117-147 Conclusion....Pages 148-155 Back Matter....Pages 156-167