The Green Halo
A Bird's-Eye View of Ecological Ethics

Erazim Kohák

In The Green Halo, Kohák presents a wide range of conflicting views and strategies in ecological ethics, including many with which he disagrees.

He begins by sketching the problematic relation of humankind to the rest of the natural world, including other animals. Kohák then outlines various ways of conceiving of nature and its value, discussing the views of, among others, Al Gore, John Muir, Albert Schweitzer, Paul Taylor, Aldo Leopold, and Garrett Hardin. He concludes by discussing different approaches to the ecological crisis, including depth ecology, ecofeminism, the GAIA hypothesis, and sociobiology.

An accessible introduction to the vast field of contemporary ecological thought, The Green Halo provides a basic education in environmental philosophy and an understanding of the most important problem facing humankind in the coming century: How can we live on this Earth in a way that we do not destroy the preconditions of our own existence?

"The Green Halo can be read at many levels. It is enjoyable reading and can serve as an introduction for those who know little or nothing about environmential philosophy. At the same time, it makes a new contribution to the field, both at the movement and mainstream levels. Because Kohák is equally knowledgeable about environmental ethics in North America and his native country, the Czech Republic, he provides insight and perspectives not available from any other philosopher. The book is likely to become a classic in the field."
—Eugene C. Hargrove
Author of Foundations of Environmental Ethics

"Here is perhaps the most remakrable of the several introductions to environmental ethics now available in the growing literature—remarkable both for the unusual career of its author and for the multi-dimensional nature of the work. . . . This overview is distinctly comprehensive, and with fresh perspectives. [Kohák] is able to combine theory and practice most effectively. On every page he joins multiple tenstions in the field, often finding complementary insights: the contemporary and the historical, facts and values, the is and the ought, reason and emotion, the real and the ideal, ethics and metaphysics, the subjective and the objective. . . . I am privileged to endorse this work."
—Holmes Rolston, III
Author of Philosophy Gone Wild