exostrike
04-09-2012, 01:00 AM
Green Delusions: An environmentalist critique of radical environmentalism by Martin W. Lewis is a 1993 critique of some of the central themes of the radical environmentalism movement such as the idea of returning to a tribal way of life, the shunning of advanced technolgy and living in harmony with nature.
He points out that the idea that tribal people lived in harmony with nature is a romantic construct that ignored historical or paleontology evidence to the contaverse and that even returning to a world of small craftmen and guilds won't end captalist and corperative attitudes. He also points out that if mankind were to return to the countryside, the environmental impact would be catastrophic since there would be too many people in too small an area, attempts to reduce the population would either be unworkable or so damaging to human civillisation we dare not try.
He also criticises the attitude of radicals towards technolgical development, pointing out that advanced technolgy is nessacry to solve problems of climate change and provide for industry. he also discusses the paradox of third world development and globalisation.
It worth a read if you want to find the floor in radical environmentalist thinking, even if some of the concepts he talks about have died away between when the book was written.
He points out that the idea that tribal people lived in harmony with nature is a romantic construct that ignored historical or paleontology evidence to the contaverse and that even returning to a world of small craftmen and guilds won't end captalist and corperative attitudes. He also points out that if mankind were to return to the countryside, the environmental impact would be catastrophic since there would be too many people in too small an area, attempts to reduce the population would either be unworkable or so damaging to human civillisation we dare not try.
He also criticises the attitude of radicals towards technolgical development, pointing out that advanced technolgy is nessacry to solve problems of climate change and provide for industry. he also discusses the paradox of third world development and globalisation.
It worth a read if you want to find the floor in radical environmentalist thinking, even if some of the concepts he talks about have died away between when the book was written.