The Gentle Subversive: Rachel Carson, Silent Spring, and the Rise of the Environmental Movement (review)

2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 242-244
Author(s):  
Andy. Karvonen
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Movement ◽  
Rachel Carson ◽  
Silent Spring

RACHEL CARSON'S ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

2002 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip Cafaro
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Environmental Ethics ◽  
Environmental Movement ◽  
Environmental Philosophy ◽  
Rachel Carson ◽  
Silent Spring ◽  
The Way

AbstractRachel Carson is well known as a founder of the modern environmental movement. This article argues that her life and writings have much to offer contemporary environmental philosophy. I begin by discussing the environmental ethics articulated in Silent Spring. I next examine Carson's earlier natural history writings and the non-anthropocentrism they express. I conclude with some suggestions for how Carson points the way forward for environmental ethics.

From Silent Spring to The Frog of War

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David K. Skelly
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Wild Populations ◽  
Rachel Carson ◽  
Chemical Agents ◽  
Silent Spring ◽  
The World ◽  
History Information ◽  
Wildlife Populations ◽  
The Impact

This chapter presents two examples to demonstrate that natural history is the necessary basis of any reliable understanding of the world. More than a half century ago, Rachel Carson revolutionized the public’s view of pesticides. The foundation of her success was the careful use of natural history data, collated from across North America. The examples she assembled left little doubt that DDT and other pesticides were causing a widespread decline in birds. More recently, the case for the impact of atrazine on wildlife was based on laboratory experiments, without the advantage of natural history observations. For atrazine, natural history observations now suggest that other chemical agents are more likely to be responsible for feminization of wildlife populations. Developing expectations for scientists to collect natural history information can help to avoid over-extrapolating lab results to wild populations, a tendency often seen when those lab results conform to preconceptions about chemicals in the environment.

scholarly journals Editorial: Another Notable Anniversary Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ and its Influence

2012 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter G. Wells
Keyword(s):  
50Th Anniversary ◽  
Rachel Carson ◽  
Silent Spring

Marking the 50th anniversary of the publication of 'Silent Spring' written by Rachel Carson.

Since Silent Spring: New Voices, New Analyses, and New Movements

2003 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Patricia Hynes
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Community Development ◽  
Environmental Policies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Agricultural Technologies ◽  
Rachel Carson ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Silent Spring ◽  
Pollutant Discharge

Forty years ago, in the enormously praised and fiercely criticized book, Silent Spring, Rachel Carson demonstrated the dangers of pesticides to humans and ecosystems and called for precaution in their use. Yet, the majority of environmental regulations passed since 1962 have primarily addressed pollutant discharge rather than cleaner products and technologies. The number of active ingredients in pesticides used in the United States has risen from 32 in 1939 to 860 in recent times, while the overall volume of agrochemicals applied has nearly doubled since the publication of Silent Spring. The last 40 years have brought significant changes with respect to environmental policies, agricultural technologies, urbanization, civil rights, women's rights, the roles of non-profit organizations and community development, and increased poverty, hunger, and economic inequality. In recent years, new voices, new analyses, and new movements have emerged offering fresh perspectives on how we can answer Carson's clarion call to protect our planet and ourselves.

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