Environmental philosophy in Asian traditions of thought /

This book makes available some excellent papers that appeared after coeditors Callicott and R. T. Ames published Nature in Asian Traditions of Thought (CH, Oct'89, 27-0940). As a successor to that volume, this book brings together material on the topic published more recently. The present volume is divided into three sections on environmental philosophy in India, China, and Japan. The well-written introduction offers a succinct summary of each article. Reviewing each article in this small space would be impossible, but this volume offers something for almost everyone. This reviewer's personal favorites are papers by C. Framarin, S. Kaza, and I. Harris on India; by M. E. Tucker, R. P. Peerenboom, and J. Miller on China; and by D. Curtin, D. E. Shaner/R. S. Duval, H. Abe, and J. McRae on Japan. Although the structure does nothing to highlight Korea or Southeast Asia, this volume is effective within its chosen limitations. Critics might say that the papers are already published, and wonder why one would buy this volume. This reviewer believes that the urgency associated with the problems of environmental pollution and climate change justifies repeated emphasis. --Frank J. Hoffman, West Chester University of Pennsylvania