The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Revised and Updated: The Fate of the World and What We Can Do Before It's Too Late

Book Description

While everything appears to be collapsing around us -- ecodamage, genetic engineering, virulent diseases, the end of cheap oil, water shortages, global famine, wars -- we can still do something about it and create a world that will work for us and for our children’s children. The inspiration for Leonardo DiCaprio’s web movie Global Warning, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight details what is happening to our planet, the reasons for our culture’s blind behavior, and how we can fix the problem. Thom Hartmann’s comprehensive book, originally published in 1998, has become one of the fundamental handbooks of the environmental activist movement. Now, with fresh, updated material and a focus on political activism and its effect on corporate behavior, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight helps us understand--and heal--our relationship to the world, to each other, and to our natural resources.

Customer Reviews:

If this is the answer, we are doomed. .......2007-09-23

As a biology teacher, I bought this book because I thought it would be a scholarly analysis of the current environmental crisis. Instead, it is largely a diatribe against all the "evils" of Western civilization, followed by plenty of New Age mumbo.

Here are a few gems of the author's "analysis":

--All human civilizations throughout history can be divided into just two groups: Old Cultures and Young Cultures. Old Cultures universally loved each other, lived in peace, respected the earth, helped old ladies cross the street and lived sustainably. Young Cultures (Europe, USA) rape and pillage, are resource-extracting, and practice despicable acts like ownership of property and buying and selling things in an economy, rather than communally sharing all the resources.

--To get back to Old Culture, you should leave your job, home and 401k and join with small bands of like-minded individuals to buy enough rural land to build basic shelters, grow crops, and grab your own solar energy. This will re-create the small, sustainable, "tribes" of the past.

--The author proposes walking outside with the book and attempting to talk to plants and animals, waiting until they talk back. At one point, he caresses a tree and apologizes to it.

--Just by thinking good thoughts you can effect planetary change. Since the entire planet is interconnected by a "morphic energy field" any good thoughts dumped into it will improve the whole "cosmic soup."

--If you get to the end of the book, the afterword tells you that you are an exceptional person (literally, a "Chosen One") and that you should run out and buy 10 more copies of the author's other books to distribute to friends.

If this is the "strategy" of the new environmental movement, we are doomed. The author is clearly passionate about the issue and is attempting to drive deep cultural change to solve the problem, but his prescriptions are hopelessly utopian. I don't see how aboriginal mysticism is going to scrub the carbon dioxide out of our air or invent a better fuel cell.

Instead of buying 10 copies of this book, try Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel" or "Collapse."

Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed

If there is a more important and powerful book out there, I haven't found it........2007-09-02

Better than anyone I've ever read or heard, Hartmann explains the cultural and environmental crises we have wrought, how we got there, and what we can do to overcome them. It is full of factual evidence and well-thought-out insights.
Hartmann is a brilliant and prolific writer as well as an Air America radio host. If everyone would read it, there would be a lot more hope for our future.

Everyone should READ THIS.......2007-08-01

A brilliant book, very well researched and taking us thru the times in a very easy to read style. It is not fiction but feels like a good thriller at times with a cannot put down flavour to it. It is educational and informative and moves thru the subjects systematically with a deep spiritual element towards the end and finalising with an action plan and on a positive note that all is not lost. I initially borrowed this from my library but decided I want to add this to my collection of books - it is so good ! Happy reading and please share what you have read with others so that there is a world movement to improve our environment for this earth belongs not only to humans but to all other living creatures and plants as well.

A wake up call.......2007-07-23

This is a great book that addresses a number of critical issues, and it provides a good springboard to look at our future and how we must change to survive. Disappointing to some is that he doesn't reach any conclusions, however the purpose of the book is not to be "A idiots guide to survival" rather to force the reader to draw his own conclusions.

I feel that he either missed some research or simply left it out. Two cases in point are tribalism and democracy. What he said about ancient tribes is mostly correct, however there are strong indications that some ancient tribes that pre-dated modern civilization were exceedingly warlike and did kill their neighbors, just because they were not of the same tribe. I admit that they were the exception, but they did exist and perhaps they are the root of the modern civilization of dominance.

The other issue that could have been explored is the difference in democracies between republics and confederations. Republics always consolidate power and historically have failed as he points out. However he doesn't take a look at confederations which by his definitions are more tribal in outlook. I lived in Switzerland for many years and they are the oldest surviving democracy in the world at more than 700 years. The government was influenced by the Allemanes (sic) a German tribe that had a very grass roots form of democracy. I have lived all over the world in many different countries and the only place I have lived that had a genuine democracy that represented the individual was Switzerland. Interesting to note is that they are also the "greenest" country that I have ever lived in, recycling and environmental consciousness is a part of the culture with few exceptions.

Good read........2007-07-14

I found Thom's book a very interesting read. His science was a bit basic but he is trying to get through to the average couch potato who is more interested in American Idol than what is really happening to the world around them. Thom's out look on the world is a bit melancholy but he has good reason to be. For the average person who feeds their mind with junk T.V and their body with junk food then they might learn something by having a read of Thom's books. Although I don't agree with everything Thom is saying I think his heart is in the right place and he really wants to see a better world for all of us. This is a good read and a good wake up call!!

The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in Your Environment (Feng Shui)

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The Western Guide to Feng Shui
Balance in your life
Just Ok
Not a bad read!
One of the best Feng Shui books I've found so far

The Western Guide to Feng Shui: Creating Balance, Harmony, and Prosperity in Your Environment (Feng Shui)
Terah Kathryn Collins , and Terah Kathryn
Manufacturer: Hay House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1561703249

Customer Reviews:

The Western Guide to Feng Shui.......2007-06-27

I purchased this book for a friend because I already had a copy. Its a straightforward compilation of the Feng Shui Bagwa map. I have several other books and they are complicated and confusing. This book lays out the theory and shares some stories of changing the decor according to the feng shui principles. I enjoyed reading it and I have enjoyed moving things around in my house.

Balance in your life.......2007-05-13

Feng Shui may not change your life, but if by taking the time to balance your surroundings, you also balance your life, isn't that something special? I am having fun with this just making my home more pleasant.

Just Ok.......2007-03-24

Most of the other reviews I've read must have been written by someone who has never read any Feng Shui books before. This book is OK for a beginner, but I borrowed some from my local library that were a bit older, but way better, and with much nicer pictures and more specific fixes and cures. I also bought the Room by Room from the same author and so far I'm a little disappointed. It has a lot of examples but it's not very well written, and it could use more illustrations, and even suggestions on where to buy the crystals and other cure items.

Not a bad read!.......2005-09-27

I have a hard time actually judging if these books are good or bad, being that I don't really have much of a Feng Shui background.

However, the book was easy to read and covered a lot of ground- especially if you wanted to know more about Bagua maps. The advice wasn't too out there, but the examples seemed a little over the top at times.

Overall, it wasn't a bad read, and if it doesn't work for you, then move the furniture again! :)

One of the best Feng Shui books I've found so far.......2005-01-05

Easy to read and has nice examples that help a lot in understanding the concepts

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Other Books
Earth as an Organism
Not even good science
Brilliant hypothesis, poorly presented
Gaia: A Libertarian Manifesto

Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth
James Lovelock
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0192862189

Book Description

In this classic work that continues to inspire its many readers, Jim Lovelock puts forward his idea that life on earth functions as a single organism. Written for non-scientists, Gaia is a journey through time and space in search of evidence with which to support a new and radically different model of our planet. In contrast to conventional belief that living matter is passive in the face of threats to its existence, the book explores the hypothesis that the earth's living matter air, ocean, and land surfaces forms a complex system that has the capacity to keep the Earth a fit place for life. Since Gaia was first published, many of Jim Lovelock's predictions have come true and his theory has become a hotly argued topic in scientific circles. In a new Preface to this reissued title, he outlines his present state of the debate.

Customer Reviews:

Other Books.......2007-09-03

A really interesting book, and hypothesis. I first noticed this theory, funnily enough, after watching the excellent miniseries 'Edge of Darkness' and some of the writing involved with talking about that show. Well worth a look. The Earth as 'living' in the sense of a being a system, where life and the planet exist in a relationship. This is definitely a thought provoking piece of work.

Earth as an Organism.......2006-08-19

Lovelock is certainly an out-of-the-box thinker. The main point Lovelock drives home is that Earth behaves as an organism. The aim is to get the reader thinking that Earth is alive, and does have the same functions an organism. For example, the chemistry of the atmosphere and the ocean are controlled by life for the purposes maintaining the planet as a haven for life's continuance.

Life does appear to drive the planet away from the expected chemical equilibria. To this I give Lovelock credit for drawing a brilliant parallel that makes the book worth reading. There is a sort of alternate equilibrium under life's influence that hasn't been studied enough. The book really can change the way one looks at Earth. I'm not perfectly convinced with the precision here, but this is far better than picturing random life trying to survive on a otherwise dead world.

However, there were some chapters in the second half that were weak, and seemingly off-the-point. The role of mankind isn't supported as claimed. I'd give this 3 and a half stars if I could.

Not even good science.......2006-04-26

I ordered this book hoping for some scientific evidence supporting what I already knew from personal experience; that there is a gestalt emerging from all of the beings in the universe. An emergent property that some call `the spirit that moves through all things' and some call `god' and I was hoping that this book would call it Gaia. Bah! The author totally ignores the metaphysical evidence and misrepresents the impact of civilization on the natural world. He also misrepresents the relationship tribal aka primitive cultures had with the natural world. Furthermore, this isn't even good science. Typically I pass books on to friends or trade them at a used bookstore. The best thing about this book was how easily the pages tore out to become kindling for my fire. If I could I would give it a negative rating -- don't pollute your mind with this trash.

Brilliant hypothesis, poorly presented.......2005-10-27

In essence, Lovelock says that since evolution started eons ago, all forms of life evolved together resulting not only in balance among themselves and their surroundings, but also in such a way that they regulate the environment, controlling the atmosphere, the salinity of the seas and the temperature. This complex eco-system is presumably an inevitable consequence of the algorithm of evolution running successfully. Want to know if there is life on another planet? Easy, look at the atmosphere.
This comes out in the book, but it is a bit bizarre. Lovelock seems to go from anthropomorphism (the world learning to breath and making decisions) to using scientific terms that the average non-science reader will have to look up. He presents a table on page 63 that I think is incomprehensible unless you understood the work that went into it, which is not presented. He finishes with a plea not to hunt whales, which seems like a strange non-sequester to the book as whole.
As a consequence of this he seems to have appealed to crystal-swinging, horoscope-reading new age wo-wos rather than hard scientists. This is a shame, because the idea is brilliant (thus 4-stars), and could result in decades of research, added to which Gaia is a great name. It seems self-evident that we are part of and completely dependent upon the environment around us. Lovelock has such faith in the self-regulating mechanisms, he rather pooh poohs our ability to mess with it too much. However, it seems to me that evolution and balance takes time - we do things incredibly fast - our ability to warm the globe has only been for a couple of hundred years. We could easily give Gaia a fever, by overcoming her ability to make gentle regulations. If this happens, we do not know what the results will be, but we almost certainly will not benefit from them. As they say; "nature bats last".
Everyone should read this book and, despite its faults, it is readable.

Gaia: A Libertarian Manifesto.......2005-04-30

James Lovelock's book "Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth" reads like a libertarian manifesto. No doubt, many well-intentioned liberal environmentalists will be turned off by his laissez-faire approach to polution, as he believes that Gaia (the Earth-organism) can, and has handled much worse than our man-made pollution of the present day. Likewise, self-absorbed capitalists and fiscal conservatives may feel redeemed by some of Lovelock's claims, and may quote passages of this book to their liberal family members to score points in some future debate.

However, it would be wrong to interpret Lovelock as condoning pollution and the misdeeds of mankind. Lovelock instead implores us to participate in Gaia from a Taoist perspective, by learning to work with, rather than against the ways of the Earth. He believes (as do I) that we can only do this when we fully understand how the Earth has changed throughout history (including the environmental holocausts that the Earth has already endured), and how it presently changes to maintain a global homeostasis.

After reading this book I felt encouraged by the strength and mother Earth, and impressed by her ability to adapt to a wide range of near-cataclysmic events. My only critique of the book is that Lovelock sometimes makes certain leaps in his explanations, which at times left me (a lay scientist) confused as I was reading through them.

Environmental Ethics : An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy

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Interesting topics, very thought provoking
Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy
Well written outlines of major ideas
Thinking Deeply about the Environment, and Why it Matters

Environmental Ethics : An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy
Joseph R. Des Jardins
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Ethics & Morality | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0534519660

Book Description

The text serves as an introduction to ethical theory as it applies to environmental issues and as a casebook on contemporary problems of science, industry, and individual decision-making. It provides a readable, yet philosophically careful survey of the field of environmental ethics. It is comprehensive, covering topics from the relevance of Aristotle's ethics for environmental issues to Deep Ecology and Ecofeminism.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting topics, very thought provoking.......2007-09-16

I purchased this book for an environmental ethics class, and found it to be very interesting! The many changes in our environment are truly thought-provoking, and to look at them through the eyes of an ethicist was enjoyable. The reading is compelling, and good fodder for many interesting dinner table conversations.

Environmental Ethics: An Introduction to Environmental Philosophy.......2007-03-14

Book arrived in great shape and in a very timely fashion

Well written outlines of major ideas.......2003-09-13

This review is based on the 2nd edition. This book presents a good introduction to the major ideas of ethical thinking about the environment. He presents ideas on how rights might be derived as a gradation from purely human interest, rights based on whether animals suffer, and nature with its own right. Throughout the book questions of individual versus community rights are discussed. Each chapter starts with a short essay that highlights some of the complexities; for example whether Mountain Goats should be introduced or eliminated in Olympic National Park. Each chapter is concluded with discussion questions that also help the reader grapple with the issues.

He presents many of the major ideas and criticisms of animal rights, energy use, the land ethic, deep ecology, and ecofeminism. Particularly in the areas of deep ecology he presents the diversity of views. Perhaps he is weak in presenting third world views and the impact that "Deep ecology" might have on poor and agrarian populations. He is lacking discussion of religious based environmental ethics ("Theocentric ethics"). Christian Ecology seeks to develop a stewardship view, and Native American, and Eastern religions center on respect for nature. I think this book works best when read with selections from the authors discussed; for example read some of Leopold's "Sand County Almanac", then read the chapter on "The Land Ethic."

Thinking Deeply about the Environment, and Why it Matters.......2001-08-18

I read the first edition of this book (1993) and have no doubt that the third edition will surpass its scope and clarity. In a few hundred pages, Joseph Des Jardins unspools the thread of western philosophical tradition and makes it relevant for today's urgent environmental issues. Each chapter begins with a timely case study--salmon and economic develoment, nuclear waste and the rights of future generations to a clean environment--then develops the philosophical arguments required to more deeply understand just what is at stake in these and similar issues. Des Jardins' style is easy-going and eminently accessible. He wastes no words, gets to heart of the matter, and leaves the reader wanting more. Footnotes and additional readings lead to original material if the reader wants to delve more thoroughly into the topics. But you can just stop with Des Jardins if you are not a scholar, and still gain a firm grasp on how the big thinkers of western philosophy brought us to a critical divide in our environmental future. Edition One included late-breaking news from the social environmental and eco-feminist fronts, and I am confident the 2000 edition will be just as current.

Risk and Reason: Safety, Law, and the Environment

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A short review of 'Risk and Reason'
Political
Insights Into Rational Risk Management for IT Professionals
Huge Helping of Reason, Needs Salt

Risk and Reason: Safety, Law, and the Environment
Cass R. Sunstein
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0521016258

Book Description

What should be done about airplane safety and terrorism, global warming, polluted water, nuclear power, and genetically engineered food? Decision-makers often respond to temporary fears, and the result is a situation of hysteria and neglect--and unnecessary illness and death. Risk and Reason explains the sources of these problems and explores what can be done about them. It shows how individual thinking and social interactions lead us in foolish directions. Offering sound proposals for social reform, it explains how a more sensible system of risk regulation, embodied in the idea of a "cost-benefit state," could save many thousands of lives and many billions of dollars too--and protect the environment in the process. Cass R. Sunstein is the Karl N. Llewellyn Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago. Appointed by President Clinton to serve on the Advisory Committee on the Public Interest Obligations of Television Broadcasters. His many books include Republic.com (Princeton, 2001) and Designing Democracy (Oxford, 2001). He has worked in the United States Department of Justice and advised on law reform and constitution-making in many nations.

Customer Reviews:

A short review of 'Risk and Reason'.......2004-08-08

It is sometimes referred to as "emotional decision making", when after accidents which cause loss of life, government authorities decide to spend irrational huge budgets to try to prevent these accidental risks from happening again. This 2002-book of Prof. Sunstein from the U of Chicago explains the sources of such irrational behaviour and comes up with novel ideas what can be done about it. This book contains a great deal of new material, but it also draws on Sunstein's publications in the J of Risk and Uncertainty, Stan L Rev., and his 2001-book 'The cost-benefit state', amongst others.

The book gives the reader a lot of recent case studies, such as the sniper murders in the Washington DC area in fall 2002, the SARS epidemic, the Love Canal controversy in the 80s, as illustrations of people's unjustified fear, which in the same time neglects the real hazards, such as obesity, indoor air pollution, sun exposure, etc.

Risk and Reason advocates the government to produce cost benefit analyses (CBA) before choosing an emotional course of action. Sunstein argues in his book to see CBA as a pragmatic tool, designed to promote a better appreciation of the consequences of a certain regulation, rather than a form of unethical, barely human calculation, treating health and life as variables for some kind of huge maximising objective function. The author succeeds in delivering this message to the reader very well.

Sunstein urges toward four alternative strategies in optimal cost-saving risk regulation: disclosure of information to the public, economic incentives, risk reduction contracts and free market environmentalism. With the economic incentives he means financial penalties for harm producing behaviour, and tradable emission rights (similar as the Kyoto protocol is designed to reduce global warming. The alleged fact that risk creators might be given a right to create harm is shown to be false.

Political.......2003-08-14

Sunstein is a lawyer. He is neither a scientist nor an economist. His advocacy of (what he calls) "rational" and "scientific" models of risk evaluation appears to be motivated by politics, not good science or economics. Be wary of his methodology and his rigor.

Insights Into Rational Risk Management for IT Professionals.......2003-01-18

While this book focuses on government regulation of health and environmental risks (regulation is government-speak for risk management), IT risk managers can learn a lot about IT risk management from the book. For example, Chapter Three is entitled "Are Experts Wrong?", which will tell you why you need to be cautious about adopting "Best Practices." Chapter Five is entitled "Reducing Risks Rationally," just what every risk manager should be striving to do. Sunstein makes a very convincing case for the value of cost benefit analysis in managing risks. If you are responsible for risk management, get this book and read it.

Huge Helping of Reason, Needs Salt.......2002-12-02

The bottom line on this book is clear: our governance of risk to the public tends to be managed by political gut reaction rather than informed investigation; there is no clear doctrine for studying and articulating risk (for example, distinguishing between high risks to a few and low but sustained risks to the many, or between three levels of cost-benefit analysis so that choices can be made); and the best form of risk management may be through the effective communication of risk information to the public rather than imposed costs on private sector enterprises.

As reasoned as the book is, it also constitutes a direct attack on all those who expouse the "precautionary principle." While I do not agree completely with the author, who seems to feel that rational study allows for the discounting of any risk to the point where it can be economically and politically managed at an affordable cost, he certainly take the debate to an entirely new level and his book is--quite literally--worth tens of billions of dollars in potential regulatory risk savings.

Most compelling is his methodical aggregation of data from several sources to show that the cost of saving one life (he notes that we fail to distinguish adequately between a life saved for a few years and a life saved for many years, or between young lives saved for a lifetime and old lives saved for a brief span of time). Table 2.1 on page 30 is quite astonishing--of 45 major regulated risks, one (drinking water) costs over $92 billion per premature death averted; eight including asbestos cost between $50 million and $4 billion; seven including arsenic and copper cost between $13 million and $45 million; 14 including various electrical standards cost between $1 million and $10 million per death averted; and 15 cost less than $1 million per death averted.

What cost human life? Even on this there is no standard, and even within a single regulatory agency (e.g. the Environmental Protection Agency) there are different calculations used in relation to different risks being regulated. The author does a really fine job of comparing the public perception of the value of a life saved ($1.3 million for automobile-related risks, $103 million for aviation-related risks) with the values used by the government and the courts, which vary widely (into the billions) but seem to hover between $10 million and $30 million per life saved and without regard the the number of life-years actually involved.

The heart of the book is in its conclusion, where the author proposes a four-part strategy for dramatically reducing the cost of regulatory risk management, suggesting that we focus on 1) disclosure of information to the public; 2) economic incentives; 3) risk reduction contracts; and 4) free market environmentalism. With respect to the latter, he is strongly supportive of allowing the "sale" of pollution privileges between nations and industries and companies.

For additional observations on reducing risk to the future of life see my reviews of Joe Thorton on "Pandora's Poison," Raffensperger and Tickner on "Protecting Public Health & The Environment," Novacek on "The Biodiversity Crisis," Czech on "Shoveling Fuel for a Runaway Train," Lomberg on "The Skeptical Environmentalist," Helvarg on "Blue Frontier," and Wilson's "The Future of Life."

Book Description

The proliferation of chemical substances in commerce poses scientific and philosophical problems. The scientific challenge is to develop data, methodologies, and techniques for identifying and assessing toxic substances before they cause harm to human beings and the environment. The philosophical problem is how much scientific information we should demand for this task consistent with other social goals we might have. In this book, Cranor utilizes material from ethics, philosophy of law, epidemiology, tort law, regulatory law, and risk assessment, to argue that the scientific evidential standards used in tort law and administrative law to control toxics ought to be evaluated with the purposes of the law in mind. Demanding too much for this purpose will slow the evaluation and lead to an excess of toxic substances left unidentified and unassessed, thus leaving the public at risk. Demanding too little may impose other costs. An appropriate balance between these social concerns must be found. Justice requires we use evidentiary standards more appropriate to the legal institutions in question and resist the temptation to demand the most intensive scientific evaluation of each substance subject to legal action.

Customer Reviews:

Regulating Toxic Substances: A Philosophy of Science and the Law.......2007-07-25

Regulating Toxic Substances: A Philosophy of Science and the Law provides a sophisticated and educational analysis of the complexities associated with regulating, assessing and conceptualizing toxic substances. Cranor does an impressive job at dissecting and disentangling the perplexing relationship between scientific risk assessment analysis as it pertains to Tort law, regulatory agencies and their epistemic and philosophical considerations. Theories of distribution and variants of Rawls's concept of Utilitarianism provide an atypical way of conceptualizing ethical justifications for the regulation of carcinogens and other toxic substances. The universal consideration taken by Cranor is the relationship between scientific assessment of toxic substances and public-healthcare policy efficiency. Of particular value, the last four appendices discuss the theoretic and scientific cancer potency estimates in the California Department of Health Sciences (CDHS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Models of risk act as a function of Alpha and Beta values, statutes authorizing the regulation of carcinogens, and derivation of TD50 (tumorigenic dose) potency values. Regulating Toxic Substances: A Philosophy of Science and the Law will be best suited for those who are interested in the toxic Tort litigation and familiar with moderate to advanced statistic models of risk assessment and public-healthcare policy. Clanor puts together a cohesive evaluation of the synergetic relationship between toxic substances, policy and scientific method.

Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect

Average customer rating:

Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect
Everyone should read this book!
a great book in all respects
The Inclusion of Ecology Studies Needed In All Education
To change the world, we have to change our minds

Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect
David W. Orr
Manufacturer: Island Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1559634952

Book Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

Earth in Mind: On Education, Environment, and the Human Prospect.......2007-01-10

David Orr exquisitely puts into words a need for an environmental ethos in the classroom. As a high school teacher, I have long-intuited his insights about how to bring daily connections to students about the natural world that we inhabit. He is deeply passionate, articulate and practical. I'd love to see school boards, administrations, faculty and students alike be exposed to his clear thinking and real suggestions. He brings urgency without bringing despair.

Everyone should read this book!.......2005-10-04

This is a very important book that should be read by all politicians, educators, and citizens of Earth. David Orr gives clear examples and ideas for making the radical changes we need to undo some of the damage that we have done to the planet. You will be inspired and moved if you read this book.

a great book in all respects.......2005-10-04

first off, as promised by the reseller, the book was in great condition.

as for the contents of the book, it's a fantastic read if you are interested in the root of the sustainability movement. that is to say the foundations and meaning of our educational system which as critical public good, is in dire need of a re-examination.

The Inclusion of Ecology Studies Needed In All Education.......2005-05-12

David W. Orr is chair of the environmental studies program at Oberlin College in Ohio and is most often credited with coining the word "ecoliteracy" (similar to the renown biologist Garrett Hardin's "ecolacy") to describe the very important study and understanding of ecology and natural resource processes. He is also credited with the simple, but profound statement, "When we heal the Earth, we heal ourselves."

No wonder then that Prof. Orr is well suited to write on the importance of ecoliteracy being incorporated into all educational systems for a more balanced perspective of reality.
Contemporary education, Orr says "...emphasizes theories, not values; abstraction rather than consciousness; neat answers instead of questions; and technical efficiency over conscience." (p 8) and, "As a result, after 12 or 16 or 20 years of education, most students graduate without any broad, integrated sense of the unity of things." (p 11)

"This is not an argument against education but rather an argument for the type of education that prepares people for lives and livelihoods suited to a planet with a biosphere that operates by the laws of ecology and thermodynamics." (p 27)

"Intelligence would lead us...to protect biological diversity, but for reasons that go beyond the calculation of self-interest. The surest sign of maturity of intelligence is the evolution of biocentric wisdom, by which I mean the capacity to nurture and shelter life-a fitting standard for a species calling itself homo sapiens." (p52)

"...I propose a different ranking system for colleges based on whether or not the institution and it's graduates move the world in more sustainable directions. Does four years at a particular institution instill knowledge, love, and competence toward the natural world or indifference and ignorance? Are the graduates of this or that college suited for a responsible life on a planet with a biosphere? This is an admittedly difficult, but not impossible, task."

A sense of "biophilia", as the renown sociobiologist, E.O. Wilson has described as that innate feeling of connectedness to a biological world where our roots and sustenance lie, is critical for developing a deep sense of respect and care of our world. Biophilia and it's antithesis, biophobia are well covered in chapter 20.

"We need an ecological concept of citizenship roots in the understanding that activities that erode soils, waste resources, pollute, destroy biological diversity, and degrade the beauty of landscapes are forms of theft from the commonwealth as surely as bank robbery. Ecological vandalism undermines future prosperity and democracy alike." (p 168)
"The first bit of conventional wisdom denies the importance of place and environment in favor of global vandalism masquerading as progress." (p 160)

Indeed, and a deep understanding of natural life-support systems would help mend that twisted perception of reality. David Orr has very well delineated the educational path here to creating graduates with a sense of awe and respect for the fragile, but life-supporting planet they live on.

To change the world, we have to change our minds.......2005-01-31

I once saw a lecture by James Randi, the skeptic and amateur magician who likes to debunk "miracles" and other mumbo jumbo. He was discouraged on this night, and he relayed his thoughts on how to save rationalism in a seeming advancing tide of superstition and magical thinking. He said something along the lines of, 'Forget trying to work with the adults, it's already too late for them. Concentrate on cultivating rational habits of mind among children, for whom there is still hope.'

This book by David Orr reminded me of that advice from Randi. While progressives and environmentalists make worthy efforts to control the worst aspects of industrial civilization through regulation and policy changes, what often gets short shrift is education. What is the use of treading water in the adult world of environmental destruction, if our children are still being taught to contribute to those very processes of civilization that do all of the damage? Orr reminds us that the most difficult change that needs to happen is one of mindset, of formative ideas. There are plenty of appropriate technologies out there to change the world, but we lack the political will and cultural mindset to implement what needs to be done.

The best way to create that ecological mindset, or worldview, is to teach children from the earliest age that they are part of a wonderful but fragile ecosystem, one that needs their help and devotion to survive. If we don't teach our daughters and sons that the earth is their home, and that processes that kill their home are ultimately suicidal, then all of the policy work and regulatory stop-gaps are worthless. This is good stuff, well worth reading.

Families, Schools, and Communities Building Partnerships for Educating Children (3rd Edition)

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Families, Schools, and Communities Building Partnerships for Educating Children (3rd Edition)
Chandler Barbour , Nita H. Barbour , and Patricia A. Scully
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0131128000

Book Description

With a new co-author, this introductory book again explores the interconnectedness of children's "circles"âhome, school, and community. The authors' unique vision of school improvement advocates teaching strategies and curricula that are not only developmentally and culturally appropriate, but which also enfold each child's family and community into his or her education as equal partners with the school, its teachers, and its administration. Extensive and current demographic information, along with numerous engaging real-life stories, support the authors' position regarding partnerships, by presenting a child's life as a rich panoply of experiences in which learning is constantly taking place, both within and outside of school. Thoroughly up-to-date coverage includes globalization issues, the explosion of media materials, new findings from brain research, and examination of the latest federal and state legislation, including No Child Left Behind. For teachersâespecially at the elementary school grade levels, and for anyone who in any way educates and contributes to the educational experience and well-being of children.

The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Waking Up to Personal and Global Transformation

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Every human must know this information!
Change now or face the consequences
think for youself, question authority, save the world
Evolution or devolution? You decide.
Simply Awakening

The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Waking Up to Personal and Global Transformation
Thom Hartmann
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0609805290
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Amazon.com

Ecology and spirituality are deftly intertwined in this well-written discussion of how we can save and preserve life on earth. Vermont author Thom Hartman offers a highly persuasive argument for adopting the spiritual values of our ancient ancestors, which means living with a strong connection to the earth as well as the sun that nourishes us all. Nowadays, humans often perceive themselves as separate from nature and born to dominate it, says Hartman who lays out some frightening, albeit thorough, research on the destruction of the planet. But as the book progresses, he guides readers into a convincing and intelligent vision for reversing our destructive ways.

Mostly, we could all use an attitude adjustment. For example, he explains how native and tribal cultures often considered all forms of life to be as sacred as human life--an attitude that may be one of our best shots at planetary longevity. Hartman devotes his final section to "What the Average Person Can Do," including chapters titled, "Turn Off the TV," "The Modern-Day Tribe: Intentional Community," and "Reinventing Our Daily Lives and Rituals." --Gail Hudson

Book Description

A call to consciousness combining spirituality and ecology that offers hope for the future.

As the world's population explodes, cultures and species are wiped out, and we have now reached the halfway point of our supplies of oil, humans the world over are confronting difficult choices about how to create a future that works.
Thom Hartmann proposes that the only lasting solution to the crises we face is to re-learn the lessons our ancient ancestors knew -- those which allowed them to live sustainably for hundreds of thousands of years -- but which we've forgotten.

Hartmann shows how to find this new yet ancient way of seeing the world and the life on and in it, allowing us to touch that place where the survival of humanity may be found.

Customer Reviews:

Every human must know this information!.......2006-07-25

This is the most important book I have ever read. Thom does a good job in laymen's terms in laying everything out.

I read a review bashing this book, and it made my stomach turn. You just have your ignorant head in the sand! I have a five year-old who will be about 40, 45 when -- if we don't change our ways -- the oil, water and trees will run out. We're seeing signs of this already, for example, the levels of the water aquifers around the country. Do you think us lefties are making this up?? Check into it yourself! We can't eat or drink money.

Yes, turn off your TV, conserve energy, do everything you can now to prevent these scenerios from happening, AND... read this book and give copies to as many people as possible!

Change now or face the consequences.......2006-07-21

I kept reading about this book during my peak oil, climate change readings, and I finally ordered it and read it. What a thought provoking book! I had read Daniel Quinn's Ismael and Story of B, and this continues the thoughful line of thinking that our current civilization is not working and we had better change our course before the whole thing collapses from overpopulation, CO2 warming, and the loss of cheap energy. I plan on buying more copies and giving them to my college age nieces so they can read about the world they are about to inherit. Maybe they can help shape the change that will affect the rest of their lives. Thank you Thom Hartmann!

think for youself, question authority, save the world.......2004-04-25

This book is the most thought-provoking books I have read in a long time that sheds a lot of light on the current environmental and social conditions of the world. The first 2/3 of the book is very tough to get thru as the environmental outlook is very dim, however the last 1/3 is very optimistic and really makes you feel like you can make a difference (prayer is a great example).

The book covers topics like the differences between the Older culture (tribal society with much respect and a strong relationship with nature, e.g. plants and animals) and our Younger culture (the dominator city/state mindset that has been pulling the world down for thousands of years and is ultimately destined to fail).

After reading this book, you will have great respect for tribal societies like the Native Americans and the South American tribes and shamans. For example, women are treated as equals in Native American tribes and everyone takes care of everyone else in the tribe. They are spiritually rich, which we are spiritually poor in the so-called "first-world civilized" countries.

Hartmann is a very natural and free-flowing writer and this is one of those books you will read very quickly, it's that interesting and important. He does cite most of his sources for the facts presented in the book as well, which is respectable.

Buy it, read it, let your friends borrow and spread the world before it's too late. Turn off your TV and think more.

Remember the Long Count version of the Mayan calendar ends in 2012 AD. We're running out of time. Do it for the children.

Evolution or devolution? You decide........2004-04-05

I have seldom read a book that has so much to offer in terms of its premise and yet just doesn't deliver the goods--despite the glowing recommendation by the normally sane Neale Donald Walsch. The author,Thom Hartmann artfully blends useful statistics with arguments that are taken out of context and then rejiggers them into an eco-agenda that misses the big picture and purpose of human life. On page 174 we have the following gem:

"Tribes are characterized by five primary traits.

1. political independence
2. egalitarian structure
3. get their resources from renewable local sources
4. have a unique sense of their own identity

5. respect the identity of other tribes"

The author actually seems to believe that the tribal structure is preferable to our own democratic system. He has perhaps never visited Africa where tribes for centuries have looted and pillaged each other for slaves and wives and where today tribalism is the greatest form of racism in Africa.

The author's view is even more artfully captured by a quote he lists at the top of page 118 from Gore Vidal:"Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the (parasite) dies or both die."This is eco-gibberish at it finest. There is no concept here of humanity and the earth in partnership but only one of host and infection. And what my friends does one do with an infection? One kills it. Is this how one should think of the human race?

This is the fundamental problem with most eco-fairy tales. They talk about sustainable resources, they talk about conservation but what they really believe is that human life is a blot upon the earth and if we only would use condoms, commit infanticide on a large scale and practice sexual tolerance (read: promote homosexuality) can we relieve ourselves from the scourge of overpopulation. The author and other like minded figures simply cannot conceive of the human richness that is produced by families that have offspring that create businesses, invent new products and create wealth and improve life for millions--all they can think about is mankind as a consumer of the earth's scant resources, rather than as a partner in producing evolutionary and cultural wealth.

In this extraordinarily unbalanced book, which is subtitled waking up to personal and global transformation not one word is mentioned about sexual self restraint or the affect/effect of virtue and vice upon human thinking. Aside from some useful statistics on the vices of the Spanish colonization of the Americas, The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight totally misses the point of human life. We can make the earth a better place by working in partnership with the existing ecosystems within which we exist but returning to tribalism, limited sustenance and primitive technology is nothing short of a call for human devolution.

The author is entirely mistaken in his assumption that previous civilizations have failed due to the rapid depletion of resources--those were contributing factors but the emerging picture that modern scholarship paints is that in almost in all instances, the ruling classes depleted their moral and intellectual capital via what could only be described as moral and spiritual vice, and devolved with frightening rapidity into violence, anarchy and ungovernability.

If the author would only use his own information to think more clearly about what he is really saying, he would come up with something extraordinarily interesting. For example, on page 217 he talks about the intensity of quantum waves that are in phase with each other as being the square of the sum of those waves. Thus if you have 1,000 people who believe in anything that has an actual quantum effect of 1000 squared, which yields the affect/effect as 1,000,000 or one million. Thus when you have 1,000 people who have erronious points of view, the error factor is multiplied enormously. Likewise the power for good is also squared. Apply this concept to virtue and vice and you see the enormous damage that is done by vice (particularly vices involving the lack of self-restraint or as the ancients described it, continence) and the enormous good that is done by virtue or excellence. So, rather than polarizing the issue by making our social ills attributable solely to the failure of corporations and national entities to embrace tribalism and "green" values, the author would be far better served by engaging and then enlarging the notion of what constitutes virtue and vice. Tribal and other green values are as much at risk as are corporate and democratic values unless the quantum and moral dynamics of virtue and vice are understand and applied from top to bottom in our society. By having such a map we might have a force multiplier for real social change that everybody would benefit from--no matter what their beliefs are.

Simply Awakening.......2004-01-17

Simply a must read for all Earthlings! The book begins with the following paragraph, ýIn the 24 hours since this time yesterday over 200,000 acres of rainforest have been destroyed in our world. Fully 13 million tons of toxic chemicals have been released into our environment. Over 45,000 people have dies of starvation, 38,000 of them children. And more than 130 plant or animal species have been drive to extinction by the action of humans. (ý) And all this just since yesterday.ý

A recommended read for environmentalist, and all those consumerist about to hit the mall this weekend. I would also make a plea that this is an absolute MUST read for each and every one of our children. This book provides well developed and presented information on the state of our environment. The breadth of information is presented in numerous ways including personal stories, analogies, newspaper articles, research papers, and is spotted with great humor, as well as alarming cold-hard facts.

This book is a significant body of work to awaken our lost-sense of Earthliness and re-awaken within us the abandoned traditions of our ancestors. This work pushes you to the brink of emotional and spiritual collapse, and then guides you back gently with inspirational thoughts and self-motivating ideas.

The book is divided in to three parts. Part 1 provides, very bluntly, undeniable and unambiguous information, facts, and support as to the nature of the irreparable damage that we humans, and specifically corporations, have inflicted upon the Earth. Part 2 provides a discussion on the anthropological aspects of various cultures and tribes, and how that particular view affected their attitude towards animals (including other ýhumansý) and the Earth itself. Part 3 is dedicated to discussing steps that each of us can take to impede the current trend of self-destruction and Earth-destruction.

Book Description

Nature Across Cultures: Views of Nature and the Environment in Non-Western Cultures consists of about 25 essays dealing with the environmental knowledge and beliefs of cultures outside of the United States and Europe. In addition to articles surveying Islamic, Chinese, Native American, Aboriginal Australian, Indian, Thai, and Andean views of nature and the environment, among others, the book includes essays on Environmentalism and Images of the Other, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Worldviews and Ecology, Rethinking the Western/non-Western Divide, and Landscape, Nature, and Culture. The essays address the connections between nature and culture and relate the environmental practices to the cultures which produced them. Each essay contains an extensive bibliography. Because the geographic range is global, the book fills a gap in both environmental history and in cultural studies. It should find a place on the bookshelves of advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and scholars, as well as in libraries serving those groups.

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