Nature and sociology

"Nature has become increasingly central to social thinking. From the social implications of environmental degradation to the plethora of issues raised by biotechnology, genomics, neuroscience and health, the 'natural' world is increasingly difficult to ignore for sociologists and social scientists. In addition to a wide-ranging treatment of this field, this text presents fresh perspectives that challenge the way we think about the relationship between 'time', 'nature' and 'society'." "Although the natural and social are inevitably intertwined, Tim Newton argues that we should be open to the possibility of difference in our perception of them. In so doing, he contests accepted tenets, such as an overriding need for anti-dualism, and underscores the limitations of current approaches such as social constructionism and critical realism. In addition, he engages with the burgeoning debates on new genetics and neuroscience, takes the material world and human biology seriously, and addresses the issues of interdisciplinarity that are likely to arise in any longer term attempt to work across the social and natural world." "Nature and Sociology will be of great interest to students of a variety of disciplines including Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy and Human Geography, Social and Biological Anthropology, and the Life and Physical Sciences."--Jacket.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Philosophy, Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.