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Earth in mind : on education, environment, and the human prospect / David W. Orr.

By: Orr, David W, 1944-Publisher: Washington, D.C. : London : Island ; Eurospan [distributor], 2004Description: 224 p. ; 23 cm001: 43631ISBN: 9781559634953 (pbk.) :Subject(s): Environmental education -- Philosophy | Education -- Philosophy | Environment and ecologyDDC classification: 363.7 ORR LOC classification: GE70 | .O77 2004Summary: Noted environmental educator David W. Orr focuses not on problems in education, but on the problem of education.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In Earth in Mind , noted environmental educator David W. Orr focuses not on problems in education, but on the problem of education. Much of what has gone wrong with the world, he argues, is the result of inadequate and misdirected education that:

alienates us from life in the name of human domination causes students to worry about how to make a living before they know who they are overemphasizes success and careers separates feeling from intellect and the practical from the theoretical deadens the sense of wonder for the created world The crisis we face, Orr explains, is one of mind, perception, and values. It is, first and foremost, an educational challenge.

The author begins by establishing the grounds for a debate about education and knowledge. He describes the problems of education from an ecological perspective, and challenges the "terrible simplifiers" who wish to substitute numbers for values. He follows with a presentation of principles for re-creating education in the broadest way possible, discussing topics such as biophilia, the disciplinary structure of knowledge, the architecture of educational buildings, and the idea of ecological intelligence. Orr concludes by presenting concrete proposals for reorganizing the curriculum to draw out our affinity for life.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Noted environmental educator David W. Orr focuses not on problems in education, but on the problem of education.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Acknowledgments (p. ix)
  • Introduction to the 10th Anniversary Edition (p. xi)
  • Introduction (p. 1)
  • Part 1 The Problem of Education
  • 1 What Is Education For? (p. 7)
  • 2 The Dangers of Education (p. 16)
  • 3 The Problem of Education (p. 26)
  • 4 The Business of Education (p. 35)
  • Part 2 First Principles
  • 5 Love (p. 43)
  • 6 Some Thoughts on Intelligence (p. 48)
  • 7 Reflections on Water and Oil (p. 54)
  • 8 Virtue (p. 60)
  • 9 Forests and Trees (p. 64)
  • 10 Politics (p. 70)
  • 11 Economics (p. 74)
  • 12 Judgment: Pascal's Wager and Economics in a Hotter Time (p. 79)
  • Part 3 Rethinking Education
  • 13 Rating Colleges (p. 89)
  • 14 The Problem of Disciplines and the Discipline of Problems (p. 94)
  • 15 Professionalism and the Human Prospect (p. 99)
  • 16 Designing Minds (p. 104)
  • 17 Architecture as Pedagogy (p. 112)
  • 18 Agriculture and the Liberal Arts (p. 117)
  • 19 Educating a Constituency for the Long Haul (p. 122)
  • Part 4 Destinations
  • 20 Love It or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution (p. 131)
  • 21 A World That Takes Its Environment Seriously (p. 154)
  • 22 Prices and the Life Exchanged: Costs of the U.S. Food System (p. 172)
  • 23 Refugees or Homecomers? Conjectures About the Future of Rural America (p. 185)
  • 24 Hope in Hard Times (p. 204)
  • Conclusion: Earth in Mind (p. 212)
  • Index (p. 215)

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