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Rethinking nature and culture

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ISE board member Eleanor Finley recommends this interview with philosopher and Rice University literature professor, Timothy Morton. In his new book, The Ecological Thought, Morton examines prevailing assumptions about nature and culture in mainstream society and ecological activism. Using metaphysics and object-relations theory, he concludes that nature is “no more” than a social construction. The publisher’s blurb explains:

No being, construct, or object can exist independently from the ecological entanglement, Morton contends, nor does “Nature” exist as an entity separate from the uglier or more synthetic elements of life. Realizing this interconnectedness is what Morton calls the ecological thought.

The description of the interview, broadcast on KPFA’s Against the Grain program, adds:

Timothy Morton dares to challenge not only [the Gaia theory’s] holism, but also the very existence of “nature.” Morton’s belief in radical interconnectedness is informed in part by his close reading of Darwin.

Download the full interview from http://www.againstthegrain.org/program/490/id/442328/tues-11-01-11-rethinking-ecology