Sociobiophysicality and the Necessity of Critical Theory: Moving beyond Prevailing Conceptions of Environmental Sociology in the USA

Abstract

Today, to perceive the link between society and environment does not require that we engage in an effort of great abstraction. What remains paradoxical is that the intensity and scale of societally induced environmental degradation, which rose to historically unprecedented levels during the latter half of the 20th century, is synchronous with an equally impressive increase in public concern for and attention to the biophysical world. This article examines values-based and traditional Marxist-oriented approaches to environmental sociology in the USA in order to assess whether or not – and if so, how exactly – these approaches help us make sense of the aforementioned paradox. Against this background, the necessity of critical theory for environmental sociology is illuminated. In order to further research efforts accordingly, this article advances the concept of sociobiophysicality, which allows us to grasp objective drivers of human-ecological transformation and forms of subjectivity as synchronous with the commodity form.