“Nature for Real: is Nature a Social Construct?” pages 38-64 in Chappell, T. D. J., ed., The Philosophy of the Environment, Edinburgh, Scotland: Edinburgh University Press, 1997.
Online at: http://hdl.handle.net/10217/37188

Six words are model the world we view. But how far are these words for real? (1) "Nature," (2) "Environment," (3) "Wilderness," (4) "Science," (5) "Earth," and (6) "Value." "The world" is variously "constituted" by diverse cultures in their coping strategies, including our Western culture--so we are much reminded-- and the make-up of the words colors up what we see. More radically, many question whether humans can really know nature at all. If so, can we have a real environmental ethic?