ABSTRACT
The aim of this chapter is to set the scene for the later discussions of the role of the environment in social theory by looking at how social theory has historically viewed and used the environment. This chapter traces some of the historical antecedents of how previous human generations at different times, places and within different cultures have conceptualised and thought about the environment and social-environmental relations. A second aim will be to look at some of the historical roots of Western social theorising about the environment in general, looking at the legacy of Judeo-Christianity and the Enlightenment in particular. Finally a third aim is to look at some of the historical origins of the ‘green’ social theoretical perspective, focusing on some antecedents of green thought in two broad reactions to the Enlightenment: namely, the reactions to the industrial revolution and the French and American ‘democratic revolutions’ of the late eighteenth century.
