The Philosophy of Social Ecology: Essays on Dialectical Naturalism. Rev. ed.

Alice Kidd is an editor with The New Catalyst editorial collective in
Lillooet, B.C.

The four essays in this lucid and well-organized volume explore the idea
of dialectical naturalism within the context of both Western and Eastern
philosophies and the current global ecological crisis. The first essay
examines the meaning and role of reason in human deliberation.
Subsequent essays explore alternatives to dualism provided by the
notions of evolution and development, the role of diversity and
complexity in evolution, and the relative contributions of Eastern and
Western philosophy.

Bookchin argues against anti-intellectualism, relativism,
anti-historicism, systems theory and deep ecology, and New Age
philosophy. He is concerned that, without the tool of ecological
thinking, we will return to the materialistic and dualistic excesses
that characterized earlier periods. Notions of history, civilization,
and progress, he reminds us, are not unmixed in their implications for
humanity and nature; each in its way has been an instrument not only of
hope and freedom but also of despair.