Nature, Social Relations and Human Needs Essays in Honour of Ted Benton [Hardcover]

Bringing together some of the most eminent thinkers in the field, this book celebrates the seminal contribution of Ted Benton to such pressing themes as: realism, naturalism and the philosophy of the social sciences; the continuing relevance of Marxism; philosophical anthropology and human needs; and ecology, society and natural limits.Introduction: Intricate Webs: Nature, Social Relations and Human Needs in the Writings of Ted Benton; R. Stones and S. Moog PART I: REALISM, NATURALISM AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES FOR Science in the Social Sciences : The End of the Road for Critical Realism?; G. McLennan Practising Nature and Culture: An Essay for Ted Benton; J. Law PART II: THE CONTINUING RELEVANCE OF MARXISM The Continuing Relevance of Marxism; P. Devine Four Pillars of a Revisionist Marxism; E. Morawska PART III: PHILOSOPHICAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND HUMAN NEEDS Cognitive Capitalism and Species-Being; P. Dickens Understanding Lay Normativity; A. Sayer PART IV: ECOLOGY, SOCIETY AND NATURAL LIMITS Ecological Politics for the Twenty-First Century: Where Does Nature Fit in?; S. Moog Realism, Naturalism and the Red-Green Nexus: Benton's Contribution to Ecological Theory; K. Soper Labour, Nature and Dependence; J. O'Neill Conclusion: Philosophy, Materialism and Nature: Comments and Reflections; T. BentonTED BENTON is Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, UK. Amongst his current interests are environmental issues and modern social theory, especially the links between socialist and 'green' perspectivesPAT DEVINE is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, UK having retired from the University's Economics Department in 2004PETER DICKEN is Visiting Professor in Sociology at the Universities of Brighton and Essex, UK. He is also Associate Lecturer in Sociology in the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge, UK.JOHN LAW is Professor in Sociology at the Centre for Science Studies at Lancaster University, UKGREGOR MlÓU