"The Ecology of Freedom: The Emergence and Dissolution of Hierarchy is a 1982 book by American libertarian socialist and ecologist Murray Bookchin, in which the author describes his concept of social ecology, the idea that ecological problems are caused by human social problems and can be solved only by reorganizing society among ecological and ethical lines. The book is widely regarded as Bookchin's magnum opus, being the most systematic articulation of his ideas. The work has also been criticized as utopian, though Bookchin addresses his disagreement with this notion being used as criticism within the work itself, asserting that utopian thought is necessary for human survival."