Philosophy of Ecology

The most pressing problems facing humanity today — over-population, energy shortages, climate change, soil erosion, species extinctions, the risk of epidemic disease, the threat of warfare that could destroy all the hard-won gains of civilization, and even the recent fibrillations of the stock market — are all ecological or have a large ecological component. in this volume philosophers turn their attention to understanding the science of ecology and its huge implications for the human project.
 
To get the application of ecology to policy or other practical concerns right, humanity needs a clear and disinterested philosophical understanding of ecology which can help identify the practical lessons of science. Conversely, the urgent practical demands humanity faces today cannot help but direct scientific and philosophical investigation toward the basis of those ecological challenges that threaten human survival. This book will help to fuel the timely renaissance of interest in philosophy of ecology that is now occurring in the philosophical profession.

Provides a bridge between philosophy and current scientific findingsCovers theory and applicationsEncourages multi-disciplinary dialogue

Philosophy of Ecology Today
Origins and Development of Ecology
The Legend of Order and Chaos: Communities and Early Community Ecology
Philosophical Themes in the Work of Robert MacArthur
Embodied Realism and Invasive Species
A Case Study in Concept Determination: Ecological Diversity
The Biodiversity-Ecosystem Function Debate in Ecology
A Dynamical Approach to Ecosystem Identity
Symbiosis in Ecology and Evolution
Ecology as Historical Science
Environmental Ethics and Decision Theory: Fellow Travellers or Bitter Enemies?
Postmodern Ecological Restoration: Choosing Appropriate Temporal and Spatial Scales
Habitat Reconstruction: Moving Beyond Historical Fidelity
Modeling Sustainability in Economics and Ecology
Diversity and the Good