This book presents the various "world-views" behind the immediate battles over ecological issues in a way that brings them alive. It shows why understanding and working through our most basic beliefs concerning what we ought to do (and be) is so important if we are to learn to "tread more lightly on the earth" before it is too late. It is a wonderfully readable introduction to ecological ethics and a rousing call to thoughtful action.

Although some of the philosophical writings are a bit dense, this is a worthy book for anyone fascinated by Czech society and literature, and by the pre-1989 samizdat era. The content is uneven, but it is a great insight into what these writers were doing before they were free to write. Don't go looking for a Prague-centric collection, though -- it is all over the map.