Harmony – not ‘theory’

Chapter 5 considers the key problems with academic theory, especially anthropocentric theory. Ecological theories are discussed, such as ‘adaptive management’, which seems to be driven by neoliberal ideology. The chapter details how recent theory has not been kind to nature, such as ‘new conservation’, which is strongly influenced by ideology (again neoliberalism). The chapter then considers modern shifts in theory, some of which even deny that nature exists. The chapter then argues that what we should focus on is harmony , the harmony one finds in wild nature. Our task should be to consider how to keep this and how to restore it.