Posted April 23, 2007 1:30 pm

Quarterly Review of Biology 82(1): 71-72

This volume is neither an argument for nor against the unlimited vastness of nature and her earthly resources. Rather, Hull presents many of the infinite variety of perceptions, concepts, experiences, and existences of man in and with nature. It is a well-reasoned argument for open discourse and the need to break what he sees as the "helplessness of polarization and paralysis" (p xiii) in current discussions of environmental issues.
With the recent release of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth and headline-grabbing stories about global warming and climatic change in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Hull's work could not be more timely. It is the culmination of his journey toward a "pluralizing nature" (p xiii), one he describes through examples drawn from history, anthropology, religion, evolution, ecology, art, and philosophy.
Rather than seeing a single answer facing humanity, the author offers a discourse of how groups and individuals perceive and relate to nature. These include examples from past cultures and historical writers, including the Aztecs and Cahokia, the people of Easter Island, and Thomas Jefferson, Henry David Thoreau, and Aldo Leopold.
Hull presents seemingly opposing views—such as the need to control nature through unbridled technological development and the need to control technological development to guarantee a future for humanity—to open a dialogue of understanding. He describes nature as so complex and ever changing that it is impossible to understand it completely, and that we will need input from many avenues of thought and experience to find solutions that will lead to an environment that sustains a livable planet for future generations.
Other works have tackled philosophical discourse about nature and the environment, most notably in Rethinking Nature: Essays in Environmental Philosophy (B V Foltz and R Frodeman. 2004. Bloomington (IN): Indiana University Press). What sets Hull's work apart is that he has pulled these ideas together into a concise and readable book. It is a welcome addition to the literature on environmental discourse.

MELINDA K HAYES
Specialized Libraries & Archival Collections, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Posted April 23, 2007 1:12 pm
Website

Choice Review

Hull (Virginia Tech) serves as a highly competent guide, taking readers on richly challenging journeys through 12 dimensions of humanity's relations with nature. He presents fine topographical maps that lucidly display the complexity of the areas of contention, brilliantly illuminating the reasoning and feeling behind each of many polarized positions concerning humankind's relations to both the nonhuman and the human world. This work is a tour de force: a meticulously fair presentation of issues that engage people's deepest passions. The clarity of these discussions of evolving nature, ecological nature, economic nature, healthy nature, aesthetic nature, and moral nature, to name a few, cannot help but encourage openness of spirit and renewed interest in engaging in public debate about the kind of world people want to live in and the future they envisage for their offspring and fellow travelers. Hull models well the virtues one needs to be well informed about, and engages with these fascinating issues. Interested readers should also consider Uncommon Ground: Rethinking the Human Place in Nature, ed. by William Cronon (1996). Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels--anyone with a view about nature. --- S. A. Mason, Concordia University

Posted July 30, 2006 11:39 am

New Scientist

THERE are many ways of knowing nature, and many ways of being an environmentalist. Is nature a thing to be cared for, exploited or left alone? Should we save nature for aesthetic reasons, for humanity, or for its own sake? In this intelligent, passionate, beautifully written book, Bruce Hull digs into the complexities and prejudices in our attitudes to the natural world. His message? What nature can teach us depends on what we want to learn from it. Environmental fundamentalists are as damaging as their religious counterparts. It is time to accept and deal with the plurality of perspectives. (M. Bond)

From issue 2550 of New Scientist magazine, 06 May 2006, page 54

Posted July 30, 2006 10:30 am

Publisher's Weekly

Starred Review. In his dense, intensely thought-provoking book, professor of natural resources Hull proposes a fair, rational dialogue between resource preservationists and resource consumers. He wants readers to consider the role of nature in their lives beyond simple resource exploitation and, through this, plot a strategy for integrating economic development with conservation and social justice in ways that are both politically and economically feasible. He also wants readers to think about how we define nature; Hull says there are many natures and we must define what we mean when we discuss them. Thus, in successive chapters, he covers topics such as American colonialism and industrialization, the role nature plays in human health, the social injustice of exporting pollution, the conflicts between religious perceptions of the natural order and ecological reality, the arguments on the natural/unnatural state of humanity, the aesthetic value of the natural world, and the historical development of natural philosophy. Hull cites often the philosophy of Aldo Leopold, actively incorporating the principle that a healthy humanity requires a healthy nature. A handbook for understanding natural resource conflicts and finding solutions for both inherited problems and the ones we are currently creating, Hull's work is comprehensive, informative, and richly rewarding.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Posted July 30, 2006 10:28 am

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)

A 'must' for any who would promote environmental consciousness as a valid objective for human growth and interests,

The direction of environmentalism for the 21st century is floundering, facing rigid ideologies which offer rhetoric pitting man against nature and conservation objectives against growth and development: that's why INFINITE NATURE'S message is so important an alternative. Chapters draw on a range of disciplines to promote environmental solutions which not only foster ecological practices, but enhance human objectives in the process. A 'must' for any who would promote environmental consciousness as a valid objective for human growth and interests.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Posted June 8, 2006 12:20 pm

New Scientists

In this intelligent, passionate, beautifully written book, Bruce Hull digs into the complexities and prejudices in our attitudes to the natural world. His message? What nature can teach us depends on what we want to learn from it. Environmental fundamentalists are as damaging as their religious counterparts. It is time to accept and deal with the plurality of perspectives."

Posted April 17, 2006 1:59 pm

STEPHEN R. KELLERT

“Bruce Hull’s book offers an important, innovative, and erudite examination of the many and often conflicting ways we value the natural world. It is both a significant scholarly accomplishment and a highly practical and relevant contribution. At a minimum, it provides greater insight and understanding of many environmental controversies, and more pragmatically, it offers an improved basis for reconciling and resolving various environmental conflicts”

Yale University

Posted April 17, 2006 1:58 pm

E. FRANKLIN DUKES

“This is an extraordinary book. Bruce Hull writes with unflinching honesty, a passion for the many beauties of nature, and absolute empathy for human needs and values even when some of those values don’t coincide with his own. This always lively book will engage, challenge, and even entertain anyone concerned with how humans can live within natural systems”

University of Virginia

Posted April 17, 2006 1:58 pm

BRYAN NORTON

“Bruce Hull’s Infinite Nature offers a fast-paced tour through what William James referred to as the pluriverse. A scientifically sophisticated and poetically evocative guide to the many perspectives from which we observe, use, and enjoy nature, this book is a celebration of the diversity of nature and the best introduction available to the emergent philosophy of environmental pluralism.”

Georgia Institute of Technology

Posted April 17, 2006 1:57 pm

J. DOUGLAS WELLMAN

“In Infinite Nature, Bruce Hull seeks to open the frozen American dialogue about the environment. Nature is unfathomably complex, leading to multiple perspectives on how humans should relate to it. Rather than continuing environmental fundamentalism and deadlock, Hull seeks to end innocence and build responsibility by developing a shared understanding of perspectives that is needed for reasoned negotiation of desired futures. This is a bold book that ventures across a wide spectrum of disciplines and does so with extraordinary depth in each area”

North Carolina State University

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