Earth in Mind

by Orr, David W.

• ISBN13: 9781559632942
• ISBN10: 1559632941
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1994-11-01
• Publisher: Island Pr

Summary

InEarth in Mind, noted environmental educator David W. Orr focuses not on problems in education, but on the problemofeducation. 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.

Author Biography

David W. Orr is chair of the environmental studies program at Oberlin College.

Table of Contents

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