Loving Nature: Towards an Ecology of Emotion

by Milton,Kay

• ISBN13: 9780415253543
• ISBN10: 0415253543
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2002-03-15
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

InLoving NatureKay Milton considers why some people in western societies grow up to be nature lovers, actively concerned about the welfare and future of plants, animals, ecosystems and nature in general, while others seem indifferent or intent on destroying these things. Drawing on findings and ideas from anthropology, psychology, cognitive science and philosophy, the author discusses how we come to understand nature as we do, and above all, how we develop emotional commitments to it. The author argues that the conventional opposition between emotion and rationality in western culture is a myth, the effect of which has been to exclude from public decision making the kind of emotional attachments that support more environmentally sensitive ways of living.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	x
Introduction	1	(7)
Science and religion	8	(18)
Science, religion and nature protection	9	(2)
Science, religion and magic	11	(1)
Science, religion and common sense	12	(3)
The natural and the unnatural	15	(4)
The personal and the impersonal	19	(2)
The emotional and the rational	21	(2)
The way forward	23	(3)
The naturalness of ideas	26	(14)
Persons, non-persons and nature protection	27	(4)
Representations, metaphors and knowledge	31	(2)
Personhood as a natural idea	33	(1)
Innate learning mechanisms	34	(2)
Persons and the theory of mind	36	(1)
An assessment	37	(3)
Knowing nature through experience	40	(15)
Experience and constructionism	40	(2)
Perception and knowledge	42	(2)
Perceiving persons	44	(4)
Getting to know nature	48	(7)
Enjoying nature	55	(18)
Conservation and the enjoyment of nature	56	(2)
The naturalness of emotion	58	(2)
Biophilia and domain-specific emotion	60	(2)
Enjoying nature through experience	62	(2)
Emotion, perception and memory	64	(2)
Emotion and self-perception	66	(2)
Emotions in their social setting	68	(2)
Learning to enjoy nature	70	(3)
Identifying with nature	73	(19)
Identification and deep ecology	74	(3)
Identification and identity: Part 1	77	(1)
Other bases of identification	78	(1)
Emotion, feelings and consciousness	79	(2)
Emotions, personhood and identification	81	(2)
Identification and self-realization	83	(3)
Personhood and the enjoyment of nature	86	(1)
Identification and identity: Part 2	87	(5)
Valuing nature: meaning, emotion and the sacred	92	(18)
Value in anthropology, psychology and philosophy	93	(2)
Value and meaning	95	(3)
Meaning and emotion	98	(3)
Emotion and the sacred	101	(4)
Sacredness, identity and self-realization	105	(5)
Protecting nature: wildness, diversity and personhood	110	(19)
Protecting nature's independence	112	(3)
Protecting diversity and personhood in nature	115	(3)
Diversity and personhood in harmony	118	(5)
Diversity and personhood in conflict	123	(6)
Protecting nature: science and the sacred	129	(18)
Emotion and rationality	130	(4)
Emotion, rationality and capitalism	134	(1)
Science and scenery	135	(4)
A tale of two mountains	139	(8)
Conclusion	147	(5)
Notes	152	(7)
References	159	(14)
Index	173