A systematic theory of naturalism, bridging metaphysics and the science of complexity and emergence.

This article is written from the perspective of Josef Šmajs’ evolutionary ontology and considers physical activity in humans. It focuses in detail on a particular form—physical exercise. In the author’s opinion, current physical exercise (sport activity) and any other human form of activity is part of the internal autopoietic processes of the sociocultural system, which displays an ever-increasingly destructive tendency towards its natural environment—towards the host system of the biosphere. The author attempts to establish the degree and manner to which (...) the anti-nature activity of physical exercise varies, but also seeks to point out how they contribute to a potential biophilic transformation of culture. (shrink)

It is a pleasure and honor to continue this philosophical exchange in Ethics, Policy & Environment. Many thanks to Eric Katz, Christopher Preston, and Karen Warren, whose commentaries appear here;...

Climate change presents urgent ethical challenges. It causes us to revisit what it means to ‘do’ professionalism and invites us to enter what Fisher described as the ‘forgotten zone’ of human-nature relationships, posing the troubling question of whether we can continue to valorise a version of being human on the same terms as before.This article begins by considering the relevance of global warming to professional practice, foregrounding the commitment to do no harm. It poses as problematic the manner in which (...) climate change knowledges have been taken up by the ‘psy subject’. It concludes by considering how we might story different versions of being alive in, and to, the natural world. (shrink)

Although research in ecopsychology commonly identifies the value of spiritual experiences in nature for psychological well-being and environmental behaviour, previous research has not compared the outcomes of these experiences in natural and human-built settings. In the present study, the relationship between self-reported mystical experiences in natural and human-built environments for psychological well-being and environmental behaviour was investigated. A sample of 305 participants completed an amended version of Hood's Mysticism Scale, a measure of psychological well-being, and brief environmental behaviour scale. Correlations (...) indicated that mystical experiences in natural and in human-built environments both significantly predicted psychological well-being, but only mystical experiences in natural settings predicted environmental behaviour. This study suggests that mystical experiences in natural and human-built environments may be related to different outcomes. (shrink)