Book description
As industry and technology proliferate in modern society,
sustainability has jumped to the forefront of contemporary political
and environmental discussions. The balance between progress and the
earth's ability to provide for its inhabitants grows increasingly
precarious as we attempt to achieve sustainable development. In The
Agrarian Vision: Sustainability and Environmental Ethics, Paul B.
Thompson articulates a new agrarian philosophy, emphasizing the vital
role of agrarianism in modern agricultural practices. Thompson, a
highly regarded voice in environmental philosophy, unites concepts of
agrarian philosophy, political theory, and environmental ethics to
illustrate the importance of creating and maintaining environmentally
conscious communities. Thompson describes the evolution of agrarian
values in America, following the path blazed by Thomas Jefferson, John
Steinbeck, and Wendell Berry.
Providing a pragmatic approach to ecological responsibility and
commitment, The Agrarian Vision is a significant, compelling argument
for the practice of a reconfigured and expanded agrarianism in our
efforts to support modern industrialized culture while also preserving
the natural world.
""The Agrarian Vision takes us beyond the virtues of
human-scale agriculture to examine the ethics of food linked to
agricultural production. By enlarging his focus to food, Thompson
illuminates the linkages between food and agriculture, rather than
agriculture as a source of industrial inputs. By doing this, he
deepens the discussion on sustainability to include the normative
frame of agrarianism. Brilliantly written, The Agrarian Vision is a
must read for those involved in the many strains of the sustainable
movement." -- Cornelia Butler Flora, coauthor of Rural
Communities: Legacy and Change" --
Paul B. Thompson, the W. K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food,
and Community Ethics at Michigan State University, is the author of
numerous books including The Spirit of the Soil: Agriculture and
Environmental Ethics. He lives in Lansing, Michigan.
