Michael P. Nelson
Encyclopedia
Michael P. Nelson is a writer, teacher, speaker, consultant, and professor of environmental philosophy and ethics currently teaching at Michigan State University
where he holds a joint appointment in the Lyman Briggs College, the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Department of Philosophy. Nelson is also the philosopher in residence of the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project. He earned his M.A. at Michigan State University before going on to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy at Lancaster University
in England. He taught at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
from 1993-2004 and the University of Idaho
from 2005-2007 before joining MSU where he teaches courses on environmental philosophy, philosophy of ecology, and conservation biology.
wilderness philosophy He is the co-founder and co-director of the Conservation Ethics Group, an award-winning environmental ethics consultancy group fusing ethics with social and ecological science, and is the author of many articles and a number of books (listed below) in the area of environmental ethics.
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
where he holds a joint appointment in the Lyman Briggs College, the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, and the Department of Philosophy. Nelson is also the philosopher in residence of the Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project. He earned his M.A. at Michigan State University before going on to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy at Lancaster University
Lancaster University
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at...
in England. He taught at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
The University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point is a public university located in Stevens Point, Wisconsin...
from 1993-2004 and the University of Idaho
University of Idaho
The University of Idaho is the State of Idaho's flagship and oldest public university, located in the rural city of Moscow in Latah County in the northern portion of the state...
from 2005-2007 before joining MSU where he teaches courses on environmental philosophy, philosophy of ecology, and conservation biology.
Contributions
Nelson's work primarily focuses on environmental philosophy and ethics, philosophy of ecology, conservation biology, wildlife ecology and ethics/metaethics, American Indian environmental thought, applied philosophy, andwilderness philosophy He is the co-founder and co-director of the Conservation Ethics Group, an award-winning environmental ethics consultancy group fusing ethics with social and ecological science, and is the author of many articles and a number of books (listed below) in the area of environmental ethics.
Publications
Nelson authored several books including Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril, The Wilderness Debate Rages On, The Great New Wilderness Debate and American Indian Environmental Ethics: An Ojibwa Case Study. Nelson has also published numerous peer-reviewed articles in journals such as The Journal of Environmental Education, The Journal of the Center for Humans and Nature, The Chronicle of Higher Education Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment BioScience, Conservation Biology, Environmental Ethics Biological Conservation, Conservation Biology, and The Ecologist.Awards and distinctions
Nelson was awarded the University Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Wisconsin in 2002 and the Teacher/Scholar in Residence Award from the University of Wisconsin in 2001. His book, Moral Ground, won two 2010 ForeWord Reviews book awards - the Gold Medal for Anthology, and the Bronze Medal for Environment.Selected works
- Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril eds Michael Nelson and Kathleen Dean Moore. Trinity University Press: 2010.
- The Wilderness Debate Rages On. eds Nelson, Michael P., and J. Baird Callicott. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press: 2008
- J. Baird Callicott and Michael P. Nelson. American Indian Environmental Ethics: An Ojibwa Case Study Prentice-Hall: 2004.
- The Great New Wilderness Debate eds J. Baird Callicott and Michael P. Nelson. University of Georgia Press: 1998.
- The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: Inadequate History, Inadequate Ethics (with John A. Vucetich, Paul Paquet, and Joseph Bump) in The Wildlife Professional, Summer 2011, 5/2, 58-60.
- Forming a Philosophy of Environmental Action: Aldo Leopold, John Muir, and the Importance of Community (with Lissy Goralnik) in The Journal of Environmental Education 42(3): 181-92.
- The Isle Royale Wolf-Moose Project (1958-present) and the Wonder of Long-Term Ecological Research (with John A. Vucetich, Rolf O. Peterson, and Leah Vucetich) in Endeavour, March 2011, 35(1), pp. 30-38.
- Toward a Global Consensus for Ethical Action (with Kathleen Dean Moore) in The Leopold Outlook: a publication of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Vol. 11, Issue 1, Winter 2011, pp. 5-9
- The Perfect Moral Storm, When the Life Rafts are on Fire (with Kathleen Dean Moore) in Minding Nature: A Journal of the Center for Humans and Nature, December 2010, 3(3), pp. 6-11.
- To a Future without Hope in Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril, Kathleen Dean Moore and Michael P. Nelson, eds, Trinity University Press, 2010.
- We Must Act to Avert Harm to the Future: Toward a Global Moral Consensus (Editor’s Introduction with Kathleen Dean Moore) in Moral Ground: Ethical Action for a Planet in Peril, Kathleen Dean Moore and Michael P. Nelson, eds, Trinity University Press, 2010.
- The Moral Obligations of Scientists (with John A. Vucetich) in The Chronicle of Higher Education, August 1, 2010.
- Four Cultures: New Synergies for Engaging Society on Climate Change (with Matthew C. Nisbet, Mark A. Hixon, and Kathleen Dean Moore) in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 6, 2010, pp. 329-331.
- Sustainability: Virtuous or Vulgar? (with John A. Vucetich) in BioScience 60, 2010, pp. 539-44.
- Will the future of Isle Royale wolves and moose always differ from our sense of their past? (with John Vucetich and Rolf Peterson), in M. Musiani, P. Paquet, and L. Boitani (eds.) World of Wolves: New Perspectives on Ecology, Behaviour, and Management, University of Calgary Press, 2010, pp. 123-154.
- Geography and Recovery under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (with Carlos Carroll, John Vucetich, Dan Rohlf, and Mike Phillips) in Conservation Biology 24, 2010, pp. 395-403.
- Teaching Holism in Environmental Ethics in Environmental Ethics 32/1, 2010, pp. 33-49.