Contents: Preface. 1. The ecological impulse. 2. Ecophilosophy. 3. Ecofeminism. 4. Religion, spirituality and the green movement. 5. Green critiques of science and knowledge. 6. Reclaiming place: seeking an authentic ground for being. 7. Green political thought: the authoritarian and conservative traditions. 8. Environmental liberalisms: green thought meets the dismal science. 9. Green political thought: the socialist traditions. 10. Seeking homo ecologicus: ecology, democracy, postmodernism. Thoughts by way of conclusion: the tenacity of environmentalism. References. Index.

"A Companion to Environmental Thought sets out to introduce the many strands of thought within the western environment movement.

What inspires a sympathy for green 'imperatives'?

How has an emerging set of ecological values interacted with more established systems of thought and values in philosophy, religion, science, economics and politics?

What is the significance of such concepts as 'nature', 'wilderness', 'place', 'authenticity', 'sustainability' and 'democracy', among many others, in a rapidly evolving world?

These are just a few of the many questions explored in this book - a text unique in its cross-disciplinary sweep. It provides a comprehensive overview of the development of environmental thinking, charting the rise and fall of ideas through the turbulent intellectual times between 1970 and the late 1990s. This will be an indispensable companion for anyone wanting to understand the changing trajectory of this most dynamic and important of contemporary activist and discursive movements. And with its broad-ranging coverage, it is likely to become a core textbook on all environment-related courses." (jacket)