Val Plumwood's work is a major contribution to the field of ecological philosophy and the philosophical world has been greatly enriched by her thinking. The era of mainstream philosophy bequeathed to us by Greek rationalism and subsequent western accretion are dead and buried in the time where the human world now finds itself as desecrator of the biosphere which maintains its existence. Plumwood's language and idiom - while very occasionally a little obtuse - is highly rewarding. Her critique of the patriarchal aspect, which has been a key aspect behind the ecological crisis, has been a major clearance conceptually of the reality of our situation. Her perspective on self and the 'otherisation' associated with sexism, racism, capitalism, colonialism, and the domination of nature is one of the most original, perceptive and engaging of her generation and her legacy is as a philosophical master. Her ideas as epitomised in this book and others will be crucial in informing the dialogue in approaching the quickening ecological crisis of the early 21st Century, which demands a complete conceptual and ethical turnaround. Her death in early 2008 has saddened many around the world who were drawn to and learnt much from her work.
