Frog Pond Philosophy explores ways of thinking “humans” and “nature” together so as to provide a philosophical and ethical alternative to the separation of human being and the rest of natural being that has been created by dominant currents in modern philosophy and modern science. The book offers two types of reflection that are meant to supplement and complement one another: personal essays and reflections based on direct encounters with nonhuman species and landscapes; and interpretive, philosophical essays devoted to a range of important modern and contemporary thinkers—from Descartes and S ... More

Frog Pond Philosophy explores ways of thinking “humans” and “nature” together so as to provide a philosophical and ethical alternative to the separation of human being and the rest of natural being that has been created by dominant currents in modern philosophy and modern science. The book offers two types of reflection that are meant to supplement and complement one another: personal essays and reflections based on direct encounters with nonhuman species and landscapes; and interpretive, philosophical essays devoted to a range of important modern and contemporary thinkers—from Descartes and Spinoza to Alfred North Whitehead and Hans Jonas, from Darwin to Aldo Leopold and Ernst Mayr. These essays offer a history of modern philosophies of nature and suggests a new direction for contemporary thought. Frog Pond Philosophy gives a distinctive voice to a natural world consisting of humans and all other species, each part of a vital whole, where humans have a special responsibility to conserve, respect, and nurture that complex living whole in all its richness and diversity.