Foster JB and Clark - Rachel Carson's Ecological Critique

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1、REVIEWOFTHEMONTHRachelCarson’sEcologicalCritiqueJOHNBELLAMYFOSTERANDBRETTCLARKRachelCarsonwasbornjustover100yearsagoin1907.HermostfamousbookSilentSpring,publishedin1962,isoftenseenasmarkingthebirthofthemodernenvironmentalmovement.Althoughanim-menseamounthasbeenwrittenaboutCarsonandherwor

2、k,thefactthatshewasobjectivelya“womanoftheleft”hasoftenbeendown-played.Todaytherapidlyacceleratingplanetaryecologicalcrisis,whichshemorethananyoneelsealertedusto,callsforanexplorationofthefullcriticalnatureofherthoughtanditsrelationtothelargerrevoltwithinsciencewithwhichshewasassociated.

3、Carsonwasfirstandforemostanaturalistandscientist.Butshewaspropelledbyherunderstandingofthedestructiveecologicalforcesatworkinmodernsocietyintotheroleofradicalcritic.Are-centbiographyattemptstocapturethisinitstitle:TheGentleSubversive.Theprincipalcausesofecologicaldegradation,Carsonin-sis

4、ted,were“thegodsofprofitandproduction.”Thechiefobstacletoasustainablerelationtotheenvironmentlayinthefactthatwelive“inaneradominatedbyindustry,inwhichtherighttomakeadollaratanycostisseldomchallenged.”1SilentSpringwasdirectedagainstthechemicalindustryanditsproductionofdeadlypesticides.Car

5、soncombinedthebestscientificinformationthenavailablewiththeskillsofagreatwriter,andhadanextraordinaryeffectinraisingpublicconcernoverthisissue.Yet,de-spiteanumberofvictories,Carsonandthosewhofollowedinherfoot-stepslostthewaragainstsyntheticpesticides,whichshepreferredtocall“biocides.”Alt

6、houghsheconcededthatthereweresomesitua-tionswheretheapplicationofsuchchemicalsmightbeappropriate,shestronglybelieved“theeliminationoftheuseofpersistenttoxicJOHNBELLAMYFOSTERiseditorofMonthlyReviewandaprofessorofsociologyattheUniversityofOregon.HismostrecentbooksareEcologyAgainstCapitalis

7、mandNakedImperialism,bothpublishedbyMonthlyReviewPress.BRETTCLARKisanassistantprofessorofsociologyatNorthCarolinaStateUniversity(beginninginfall2008),andafrequentcontributortoMonthlyReview.TheauthorswouldliketothankFredMagdoffforhisassistanceinthewritingofthisarticle.12MO