In this eloquent and sympathetic book, Evernden evaluates the international environmental movement and the underlying assumptions that could doom it to failure. Beginning with a simple definition of environmentalists as "those who confess a concern for the non-human," he reviews what is inherent in industrial societies to make them so resistant to the concerns of environmentalists. His analysis draws on citing such diverse sources as Merleau-Ponty, Heidegger, and TIME, and examines how we tend to think about the world and how we might think about it.

The book does not offer solutions to environmental questions, but it does offer the hope that there can be new ways of thinking and flexibility in human/environmental relations. Although humans seem alienated from our the natural world, we can develop a new understanding of 'self in the world.'

The second edition has a new preface and an epilogue in which Evernden analyses the latest environmental catch-phrase: sustainable development.

Neil Evernden is associate professor of environmental studies at York University, Oantario, Canada. He is the author of The Natural Alien: Humankind and Environment.

Neil Evernden's profile page

'...an ambitious but necessary clarion call to environmental arms. We ignore it at our and future generations' peril.'

Globe and Mail

'The argument he presents in this short book is concise, clearly written and unsettling. It's an argument not easily unravelled - even for those of us who would take issue with his assumptions - and not easily dismissed.'

Montreal Gazette