The nature of being human : from environmentalism to consciousness /

Fromm, an erudite, prolific author of numerous works ranging from ecocritical commentary to self-reflective discourses, presents a compilation of essays that illuminate his views regarding why most Americans seem oblivious to the destruction of their environment. The essays in the 23-chapter book cover three broad areas: ecology, nature/evolution, and consciousness. The author's personal discourses, primarily experiences with pollution, contribute to his observations of the insidious deterioration of the environment. Fromm also presents a complex, densely written discussion on the relationship between materiality (physical person who ostensibly believes in free will and decision making derived from experience) and consciousness (defined by neuroscience as directed by neurons and synapses that are self-directing, deterministic systems). He illuminates the connection between these seemingly disparate topics by revealing the shift in his reflective analytical thoughts across several decades. Essentially his perspective is an evolved conclusion that the humanities, his primary academic background, are seriously flawed in light of the implications of environmental events. He further indicates that this discipline is failing to even consider the implications of what science is reporting about how free-will humans function as they do. Because of the scope of material presented, this volume likely will be fully appreciated only by advanced academic/professional audiences. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and above. M. Evans emeritus, SUNY Empire State College