Provides alternative perspectives on fundamental aspects of human existence. In understanding, contrasting and comparing alternative understandings of economic, environmental and development issues, the book looks at why theorists conceptualize the process of social experience so differently.

Part one of the text addresses the subjective preference, cost-of-production and abstract labour theories of values in economics; part two explains egocentrism, ecocentrism and socioecocentrism as competing theoretical perspectives in environmental theory; part three highlights modernization theory, structuralist theory and class struggle as ways to account for the process of development; and part four examines the generation of knowedge through positivism, paradigms and praxis, legitimating competing perspectives in economics, environmentalist and development. The book concludes by considering why different people find alternative explanations more or less plausible. By addressing the disagreements between theorists, the book provides a basis to contrast and compare the plethora of theories of, and policies for, economic prosperity, environmental sustainability and social progress.

Chapter 1. The Scientific Parameters of Social Existence Part One Economy
Chapter 2. Economy
Chapter 3. The Consumer as Economic Dynamic - The Subjective preference theory of value
Chapter 4. The Producer as Economic Dynamic - The cost-of-production theory of value
Chapter 5. The Citizen as Dconomic Dynamic - The Abstract labout
Theory of Value
Part Two Environment Chapter 6. Environment
Chapter 7. The Environment as a source
of pleasure - egocentrism
Chapter 8. The Environment as
a Productive Resource - Ecocentrism
Chapter 9. The Environment and Social Evolution - Sociocentrism
Part Three Development Chapter 10. Development
Chapter
11. Development as the Fulfilment of Individuals' Potentials - Modernisation Chapter 12. Development as fulfilling the technical potentials of co-operation - structuralism Chapter 13. Development as the fulfilment of people's social potentials - class struggle Part Four Knowledge Chapter 14. knowledge Chapter 15. What? - Identifying
Events - Positivism
Chapter 16. How? - Defining System - paradigms
Chapter 17. Why? - understanding processes -
praxis
Chapter 18. Intellectual Panorama, Ideological vision and political view