Review by Choice Review
This is an important book, though it neither breaks new ground nor presents new theory. Rather, its significance lies in its thorough and careful analyses of the main issues and theories in environmental philosophy. In that subdiscipline, there are many central ideas and associated assumptions; Belshaw (philosophy, Open Univ., UK) digs into them, challenging, questioning, distinguishing, clarifying. Such critical scrutiny is a service, because some views are beginning to take on religious overtones (e.g., the Land Ethic, Deep Ecology--note the caps!). An analytic philosopher, Belshaw makes his own views explicit throughout, mostly arriving at moderate-to-conservative conclusions, several of which will vex more radical thinkers. Generally, he puts humans first but argues that there are moral limits to our treatment of sentient animals. Although opposed to wanton destruction of nonsentient organisms and nonliving things, he asserts that such entities, despite possessing goods of their own, in themselves exert no moral claims on us. His general perspective is consequentialist, but he has a refreshing skepticism about commitments to comprehensive ethical theories. Accessible to nonphilosophers, the book demands mindful, deliberate reading. Thus, it should be useful for advanced students without backgrounds in philosophy. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. W. Ouderkirk SUNY Empire State College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
