Andrew+Light+late+20th+century+pragmatism

=__Andrew Light__=

In Light's essay, "Ecological Restoration and the Culture of Nature," he promotes a pragmatic solution to ecological restoration. He criticizes environmental philosophers for their lack of aspiration to guide policy makers and the public in changing public policies. Environmental philosophy ought to be, for him, a tool for policy makers to help them shape more responsible environmental policies. Light understands that environmental activists are dealing with an anthropocentric culture so a practical set of ethics with a pragmatic philosophy that won't fly over the head, so to speak, of the average citizen will be most effective, and philosophers can help out with this by "articulating the normative foundations for environmental policies in ways that are translatable to the public."(399) He believes that ecological restoration makes sense because it will result in many advantages compared to the mere preservation of ecosystems that humans have extensively damaged. These restorations are valuable to Light because they help to reestablish human relationship with nature, "by restoring what could be termed our 'culture of nature'...Restoration is an obligation exercised in the interests of forming a positive community with nature and thus is well within the boundaries of a positive, pragmatic philosophy." (409)

(Knell) ==