Reviews for Cultural History of Animals in the Age of Empire

The average rating for Cultural History of Animals in the Age of Empire based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-12-16 00:00:00 Lindsey Davidson The only good critique of the left has only ever come from the left. In this spirit I would like to point out the following: 1) I found the first thing I really, really disagree on with Murray Bookchin. In the essay "An Appeal for Social and Ecological Sanity" he argues that the reason why the USA hasn't obliterated its enemies with nuclear weapons is because this tendency is opposed by the society's remnant libertarian, republican tradition that is still latent in its feeble state institutions that serve as checks and balances to each other. I find this line of argumentation absolutely ridiculous, the powerless democratic tendencies in US societies cannot compel their government to do anything; it is much more plausible that the proliferation of nuclear arms is the reason. A pragmatic "mutually assured destruction" argument is more viable than an idealistic one that romanticizes US society. 2) The essay "Workers and the Peace Movement" starts out with a jab at Vermont's socialist mayor at that time (Bernie Sanders), and evolves into one of the best critiques of working class movements, and Marxism that I have ever read. I find this essay to be complementary to his more well known Listen, Marxist!", but clearly of a greater quality. Furthermore, this book helped me further understand social ecology, and its role in a yet unexplored revolutionary tradition.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-12-19 00:00:00 Sylvia Fino Four Murray Bookchin essays compiled together provide a decent introduction to his philosophy of 'social ecology.' Basically, the idea that human society and non-human ecology are not a dualism but rather complementary parts of a living whole, and that in order to make positive social change we must "place humanity within a natural context" in Bookchin's words. Made me want to re-read The Ecology of Freedom. This guy was smart.