David Ehrenfeld

Swimming Lessons (eBook, PDF)

Keeping Afloat in the Age of Technology

• Format: PDF

Produktbeschreibung

Never in history has life been so complicated and full of sudden changes. Technology, the environment, and the way we work and relate to one another are all in upheaval. With wit, humor, a calm voice, and great authority, Swimming Lessons gives a clear view of what our world has become - not just our successes, but also the destruction set loose by our own genius and inventions. In addition, it offers practical, non-utopian suggestions for keeping afloat in the dangerous waters of the 21st century's globalized civilization. Whether it is describing a comical brainstorming session in a Washington boardroom or a close encounter with an Alaskan grizzly and her cubs, Swimming Lessons is a delight to read. Trained in history, medicine, and zoology, David Ehrenfeld brings a grand perspective to his challenging task. He writes not just as a scientist, but as one who values and understands the social sciences and humanities as well. In the first half of Swimming Lessons, we learn to recognize the lies we live: about education, new military weapons systems, biotechnology, electronic pseudocommunities, and accelerated obsolescence. We also learn about the deadly corporate economics that affect every aspect of our lives, even environmental conservation. The second half reveals the pitfalls and opportunities in the main tasks we face: relating to nature in a manmade world and restoring our damaged communities.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Oxford University Press
• Erscheinungstermin: 6. Februar 2002
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9780198033868
• Artikelnr.: 54113525

Inhaltsangabe

Section 1: The Lies We Live
Brainstorming
Pretending
The Magic of the Internet
Nothing Simple
Sherlock, Nero, and Us
Section 2: Wrecking Our Society--A Manual
Rejecting Gifts
Adaptation
Forecast: Chilly, Overcast, Light Drizzle, No People Left
Pseudocommunities
Obsolescence
Social Evolution Versus Sudden Change
Writing
Section 3: Deadly Economics
Affluence and Austerity
Durable Goods
Spending Our Capital
Saving by Selling
Hot Spots and the Globalization of Conservation
The Gingko and the Stump
The Death Penalty
Section 4: Relating to Nature in a Manmade World
The Vine Cleaners
A Connoisseur of Nature
Death of a Plastic Palm
Scientific Discoveries and Nature's Mysteries
I Reinvent Agriculture
Thinking about Breeds and Species
Teaching Field Ecology
More Field Ecology: Rightofway Island
A Walk in the Woods
Degrees of Intimacy
Section 5. Restoring the Community
The Utopia Fallacy
Traditions
Jane Austen and the World of the Community
Universities and Their Communities
An Invalid's Guide
Swimming Lessons
Bibliography and Suggested Readings