
Value, Beauty, and Nature
The Philosophy of Organism and the Metaphysical Foundations of Environmental Ethics
Brian G. Henning(Author)
State University of New York Press
Published on 2. June 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
302 pages
978-1-4384-9556-9 (ISBN)
Description
Argues that, to make progress within environmental ethics, philosophers must explicitly engage in environmental metaphysics.
Much of early environmental ethics was born out of the belief that the ecological crisis can only truly be solved by overcoming a pernicious worldview that limits all intrinsic value to human beings. Returning to this originating impulse, Value, Beauty, and Nature contends that, to make progress within environmental ethics, philosophers must explicitly engage in environmental metaphysics. Grounded in an organicist process worldview, Brian G. Henning shows that it is possible to make progress in key debates within environmental philosophy, including those concerning the nature of intrinsic value; anthropocentrism; hierarchy; the moral significance of beauty; the nature of individuality; teleology and the naturalistic fallacy; and worldview reconstruction. A Whiteheadian fallibilistic, naturalistic, event ontology allows for the recovery of systematic, speculative metaphysical thought without a revanchist movement toward a necessitarian philosophia perennis. Thus, in contrast to the claims of environmental pragmatists, Value, Beauty, and Nature demonstrates that environmental ethics would greatly benefit from an adequate metaphysical foundation and, of the candidate metaphysical systems, Alfred North Whitehead's philosophy of organism is the most adequate.
Much of early environmental ethics was born out of the belief that the ecological crisis can only truly be solved by overcoming a pernicious worldview that limits all intrinsic value to human beings. Returning to this originating impulse, Value, Beauty, and Nature contends that, to make progress within environmental ethics, philosophers must explicitly engage in environmental metaphysics. Grounded in an organicist process worldview, Brian G. Henning shows that it is possible to make progress in key debates within environmental philosophy, including those concerning the nature of intrinsic value; anthropocentrism; hierarchy; the moral significance of beauty; the nature of individuality; teleology and the naturalistic fallacy; and worldview reconstruction. A Whiteheadian fallibilistic, naturalistic, event ontology allows for the recovery of systematic, speculative metaphysical thought without a revanchist movement toward a necessitarian philosophia perennis. Thus, in contrast to the claims of environmental pragmatists, Value, Beauty, and Nature demonstrates that environmental ethics would greatly benefit from an adequate metaphysical foundation and, of the candidate metaphysical systems, Alfred North Whitehead's philosophy of organism is the most adequate.
Reviews / Votes
"Value, Beauty, and Nature also does an important service to all of us in the larger world of green thought by giving some structure to the notion of 'intrinsic value,' which as a metaphysical concept often gets used in ways that are far too hazy." - H-Net Reviews (H-Environment)"Value, Beauty, and Nature provides in one volume a clear and concise introduction to both process metaphysics and process environmental ethics and the connection between the two. Henning makes a strong case for the need to bring metaphysical concepts to bear on issues in environmental philosophy in that ecoholism and related positions are already implicitly metaphysical. He shows the problems involved if metaphysical generality is either ignored altogether or left implicit in environmental ethics, and also makes a strong case for process metaphysics, in particular. In many ways, process thinkers, as Henning shows, led the way in the early days of environmental ethics, yet their views have not yet received the attention they deserve." - Daniel Dombrowski, author of Process Mysticism
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Albany, NY
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
US School Grade: College Graduate Student and over
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
3 Tables, black and white; 1 Figures
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
496 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4384-9556-9 (9781438495569)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Brian G. Henning
Value, Beauty, and Nature
The Philosophy of Organism and the Metaphysical Foundations of Environmental Ethics
E-Book
12/2023
1st Edition
De Gruyter
from
€84.99
Available for download
Person
Brian G. Henning is Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies and Founding Director of the Center for Climate, Society, and the Environment at Gonzaga University. He is the author of many books, including The Ethics of Creativity: Beauty, Morality, and Nature in a Processive Cosmos.
Content
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. In Defense of Systematic, Speculative Philosophy
2. Value
3. Whitehead, Callicott, and Rolston
4. Beauty
5. Hierarchy
6. Individuals
7. Teleology and the Naturalistic Fallacy
8. Environmental Pragmatism
9. From the Anthropocene to the Ecozoic
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. In Defense of Systematic, Speculative Philosophy
2. Value
3. Whitehead, Callicott, and Rolston
4. Beauty
5. Hierarchy
6. Individuals
7. Teleology and the Naturalistic Fallacy
8. Environmental Pragmatism
9. From the Anthropocene to the Ecozoic
Notes
Bibliography
Index