Philosophy of Ecology

Peter J Taylor, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Published online: March 2008

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0003607.pub2

A key challenge in conceptualizing ecological complexity is to allow simultaneously for particularity, contingency and structure – structure, moreover, that changes, is internally differentiated, and has problematic boundaries. Given that all organisms – humans included – live in dynamic ecological contexts, philosophy of ecology raises more general questions about conceptualizing the positionality of humans and other organisms in their intersecting worlds.

Keywords: complexity; models; history; scale; boundaries

 Further Reading
    book Cuddington K and Beisner B (eds) (2005) Ecological Paradigms Lost: Routes of Theory Change. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
    book Fenchel T (ed.) (2000) Ecology 1999 – and Tomorrow. Copenhagen, Denmark: Munksgaard.
    book Haila Y and Dyke C (eds) (2006) How Nature Speaks: The Dynamics of the Human Ecological Condition. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
    book Haila Y and Levins R (1992) Humanity and Nature: Ecology, Science and Society. London: Pluto.
    book Keller D and Golley F (eds) (2000) The Philosophy of Ecology: From Science to Synthesis. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.
    book Kingsland S (1995) Modeling Nature: Episodes in the History of Population Ecology. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
    book McIntosh R (1985) The Background of Ecology: Concept and Theory. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
    book Peet R and Watts M (eds) (1996) Liberation Ecologies: Environment, Development, Social Movements. London: Routledge.
    book Saarinen E (ed.) (1982) Conceptual Issues in Ecology. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Reidel.
    book Sarkar S (1995) Biodiversity and Environmental Philosophy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
    book Sterelny K and Griffiths P (1999) "Adaptation, ecology, and the environment". Sex and Death: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Biology, pp. 253–279. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
    book Taylor PJ (2001) "From natural selection to natural construction to disciplining unruly complexity: the challenge of integrating ecological dynamics into evolutionary theory". In: Singh R, Krimbas K, Paul P and Beatty J (eds) Thinking About Evolution: Historical, Philosophical and Political Perspectives, pp. 377–393. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
    book Taylor PJ (2005) Unruly Complexity: Ecology, Interpretation, Engagement. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
    book Williams R (1980) Ideas of Nature. Problems in Materialism and Culture, pp. 67–85. London: Verso.

Related Sub-Topics:

Philosophy of the Life Sciences | General Ecology
Contact Editor close
Submit a note to the editor about this article by filling in the form below.

* Required Field

Article Title: Philosophy of Ecology
 
How to Cite close
Taylor, Peter J(Mar 2008) Philosophy of Ecology. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester. http://www.els.net [doi: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0003607.pub2]