TY  - BOOK
AU  - McBride III, Lee A
TI  - Agrarian Ideals and Practices: Comments on Paul B. Thompson’s The Agrarian Vision
PY  - 2011///I
CY  - Wooster
PB  - Springer
KW  - Agrarianism
KW  - Environmental ethics
N2  - In The Agrarian Vision, Thompson argues that a better appreciation of agrarian ideals could lead to a more virtuous, more sustainable way of life. While I agree with Thompson in many respects, there are some aspects of the book that I question and others that I would like to hear Thompson explicate in greater detail. In this paper, I question Thompson’s claim that agrarian farmers and farming communities serve as ideal models of virtuous habits and good character. I challenge Thompson’s use of virtue theory, particularly the notion that farming virtues can be acquired without participating in farming practices. In the end, I make the point that Thompson seems to vacillate between being realistic and being idealistic, which may seriously complicate our notions of responsibility and obligation in practice
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-011-9332-4
ER  -