The Vicissitudes of Nature
From Spinoza to Freud
Richard J. Bernstein
- The
- relation
- between
- humans
- and
- nature
- is
- at
- the
- core
- of
- the
- great
- existential
- threats
- of
- our
- time,
- from
- climate
- change,
- extreme
- weather,
- and
- environmental
- destruction
- to
- devastating
- pandemics.
- We
- are
- becoming
- increasingly
- aware
- of
- the
- fact
- that,
- unless
- we
- change
- our
- behavior
- radically
- and
- quickly,
- the
- most
- likely
- outcome
- will
- be
- the
- destruction
- of
- countless
- species
- and
- forms
- of
- life,
- including
- our
- own.
- But
- we
- also
- need
- to
- change
- the
- way
- we
- think
- about
- nature,
- and
- think
- about
- the
- relation
- between
- humans
- and
- nature
- –
- this
- is
- a
- key
- intellectual
- task.In
- this
- important
- book,
- Richard
- J.
- Bernstein
- argues
- that
- an
- adequate
- conception
- of
- humans
- and
- nature,
- capable
- of
- facing
- up
- to
- the
- existential
- threats
- of
- our
- time,
- requires
- taking
- full
- account
- of
- the
- major
- projects
- dealing
- with
- nature
- in
- the
- past.
- Focusing
- on
- key
- figures
- of
- modernity
- –
- Spinoza,
- Hume,
- Kant,
- Hegel,
- Marx,
- Nietzsche,
- and
- Freud
- –
- Bernstein
- reconstructs
- their
- conceptions
- of
- nature
- and
- uncovers
- the
- reasons
- that
- led
- them
- to
- their
- distinctive
- views.
- Working
- through
- the
- contradictions
- and
- incompatibilities
- among
- these
- diverse
- thinkers,
- Bernstein
- identifies
- common
- themes
- that
- have
- shaped
- their
- struggles
- in
- dealing
- with
- the
- relation
- of
- humans
- to
- nature.
- He
- offers
- a
- critical
- overview
- of
- the
- challenges
- illuminated
- by
- each
- perspective
- that
- must
- be
- confronted
- in
- our
- thinking
- of
- nature
- today.As
- a
- prolegomenon
- to
- rethinking
- humanity
- and
- nature,
- this
- book
- uncovers
- the
- rich
- conceptual
- resources
- available
- within
- the
- modern
- tradition
- that
- can
- help
- us
- to
- develop
- an
- adequate
- understanding
- of
- nature
- for
- our time.
