Human interaction with the natural environment has a dual
character. By turning increasing quantities of natural substances
into physical resources, human beings might be said to have freed
themselves from the constraints of low-technology survival
pressures. However, the process has generated a new dependence on
nature in the form of complex "socionatural systems," as Bennett
calls them, in which human society and behavior are so interlocked
with the management of the environment that small changes in the
systems can lead to disaster. Bennett's essays cover a wide range:
from the philosophy of environmentalism to the ecology of economic
development; from the human impact on semi-arid lands to the
ecology of Japanese forest management. This expanded paperback
edition includes a new chapter on the role of anthropology in
economic development.
Bennett's essays exhibit an underlying pessimism: if human
behavior toward the physical environment is the distinctive cause
of environmental abuse, then reform of current management practices
offers only temporary relief; that is, conservationism, like
democracy, must be continually reaffirmed. Clearly presented and
free of jargon, Human Ecology as Human Behavior will be of interest
to anthropologists, economists, and environmentalists.
General
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