The Wholeness of Nature : Goethe's Way Toward a Science of Conscious Participation in Nature

The Wholeness of Nature : Goethe's Way Toward a Science of Conscious Participation in Nature
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Superb Introduction to Holistic Science

Incredible

best non-fiction book I have read

The Wholeness of Nature : Goethe's Way Toward a Science of Conscious Participation in Nature
Henri Bortoft
Manufacturer: Lindisfarne Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0940262797

Customer Reviews:

Superb Introduction to Holistic Science.......2003-07-11

An absolutely fascinating read, at a level suitable for both professional scientists and academics but easily accessible to the layperson as well. This is essential reading for anyone with an interest in holism, holistic science and the limits of science. Bortoft provides an in-depth and comprehensive analysis of Johan Wolfgang von Goethe's approach to science, clearly showing the contemporary relevance of his entirely different way of coming to an understanding of the natural world. He underpins this analysis by his own philosophical research on the relationship between the whole and its parts.

In our daily thinking we tend to be stuck in what Bortoft calls analytic consciousness, through which we try to understand the phenomena in our world by analysing them into parts and then building them up again from those parts. In this way, the whole becomes an entity, which stands alone, albeit constituted from its parts. Goethe's way of science, however, draws on a very different conception of the whole, as being intimately entwined with its parts, in such a way that, in a sense, the whole comes into being through the parts, while at the same time the parts come into being through the whole. We can only really understand this by experiencing it and drawing on our intuitive mode of consciousness.

Bortoft shows how Goethe dwelled in the phenomena he studied to such degree that he was able to understand these phenomena, without needing to explain them. Moreover, Bortoft does an excellent job at showing how this mode of science is objective in the exact same way as conventional science is objective, in that it is verifiable by others, but dependant on a shared way of seeing the world.

Having read many parts of the book over again, I am in awe of the wholeness of this work, in the Goethean sense, so that each section forms both a part of the whole, but at the same time contains the entire work within itself. Once read as a whole, each section brings to life again the entire work, revealing each time new aspects and helping me to think afresh, with thought-provoking ideas. Striking in all this is how Bortoft has managed to bring the entire subject to life by showing so clearly how Goethe's science comes into being.

The relevance and importance of this work will no doubt increase over the years.

Incredible.......2002-02-10

I don't know when I will have the chance to sing this books praises with more details, so here I will just say the following:

This book is a masterpiece on several fronts. Here we have the best articulation yet as to why modern science must reject the healing tonic which lives in Goethe's approach. Here we have the best articulation yet of how an alternative approach to science is possible- one that is systematic and exact, yet open and participative with nature.

The methodology presented in this book is epistemologically sound, unlike the on-looker/representational epistemology that modern natural science is necessarily bound to.

This book shows us how to begin taking a step in a beautiful, true and necessary direction. more later

best non-fiction book I have read.......1999-08-13

No praise is adequate for this book with its strong unsentimental philosophical approach tempered with a relaxed style and exceptionally clear explanations of the material. It opens up a completely new way of viewing and doing science one not easily acceptable to a rigid interpretaion as it stands today. Very broad in its scope discussing very deeply the idea of world view, it is an essential read for any scientist even applied mathematicians such as myself. Unlike other books in the same vein eg metaphysical etc, in whose domain it does not belong, there are no fantastical explanations with no grounding but rather well researched arguments in favour of an almost a Socratic perspective, refering here to Socrates's character and life rather than Plato's use of him in his arguments. Recommended for all open minded readers and those who would like to have theirs opened.

Loving Nature: Towards an Ecology of Emotion

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Loving Nature: Towards an Ecology of Emotion
Kay Milton
Manufacturer: Routledge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0415253543

Book Description

In Loving Nature Kay Milton considers why some people in western societies grow up to be nature lovers, actively concerned about the welfare and future of plants, animals, ecosystems and nature in general, while others seem indifferent or intent on destroying these things. Drawing on findings and ideas from anthropology, psychology, cognitive science and philosophy, the author discusses how we come to understand nature as we do, and above all, how we develop emotional commitments to it. The author argues that the conventional opposition between emotion and rationality in western culture is a myth, the effect of which has been to exclude from public decision making the kind of emotional attachments that support more environmentally sensitive ways of living.

The Earth Charter in Action: Toward a Sustainable World (Municipal Capacity Building series)

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The U.N. Global Agreement For Peace, Prosperity, and Sustainability

The Earth Charter in Action: Toward a Sustainable World (Municipal Capacity Building series)

Manufacturer: KIT Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Sustainable Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 9068321773

Book Description

"This will be a book to be proud of!"â€”Ruud Lubbers

Â· First book on the Earth Charter
Â· World famous authors
Â· Available in English and Spanish
Â· Large, full-color book

The Earth Charter is an inspiring declaration of shared ethical principles. It arises from diverse sources--the wisdom of indigenous peoples, international law, contemporary science, and philosophical and faith traditions. It is an integrated vision of caring for all life, of universal human rights, of economic justice, and of the creation of a culture of peace. The Earth Charter in Action is a collection of over seventy thematic and descriptive essays inspired by Earth Charter, and demonstrating the rich diversity of its uses. It points toward the many possibilities of future utilization, including its ability to bridge the Islamic and Christian worlds and to work across the divide between the northern and southern hemispheres.

Well-known contributors include Homero Aridjis, A. T. Ariyaratne, Leonardo Boff, Kamla Chowdhry, Jane Goodall, Yolanda Kakabadse, Ruud Lubbers, Federico Mayor, Steven C. Rockefeller, and Erna Witoelar. Contributors are practitioners, experts, and Earth Charter activists from around the world. There is a special emphasis on contributions from youth. Includes an afterword by Princess Basma Bint Talal and 75 full-color illustrations.

This book is published in cooperation with Earth Charter International, Costa Rica, and the NCDO, The Netherlands.

Customer Reviews:

The U.N. Global Agreement For Peace, Prosperity, and Sustainability.......2007-01-06

For many years now I have been wondering what an agreement on international cooperation that all nations could readily agree to would be comprised of. With the publication of The Earth Charter In Action, my musing is over. The Earth Charter is simple yet succinct; it is profound and compelling. The first paragraph from the PREAMBLE sets the tone:

"We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. As the world becomes increasingly interdependent and fragile, the future at once holds great peril and great promise. To move forward we must recognize that in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are family and one Earth community with a common destiny. We must join together to bring forth a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. Towards this end, it is imperative that we, the people of Earth, declare our responsibly to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations."

The Earth Charter book has the entire Earth Charter document interspersed with commentaries from it's many contributors such as: Wangari Maathai, Mikhail Gorbachev, Jane Goodall, Peter Blaze Corcoran, et al. The Earth Charter website also has the entire Earth Charter in a viewable and downloadable format. There is a large and growing body of world-wide endorsers at the website and the list includes almost every country along with an impressive and varied list of NGOs, schools, business, religious groups, and individuals.

The Earth Charter will hopefully be the document that brings every person on Earth together for a peaceful, democratic, and sustainable future with a knowledge of our interconnectedness and interdependence not only amongst ourselves, but with all other life forms on Earth. My heartfelt thanks to the many contributors world-wide for this beautiful document!

Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings

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Echoes of the Ancient Wisdom of the Earth
There I was, sitting in a canyon, thinking like a mountain.
Amazing book on the sacredness of all beings

Thinking Like a Mountain: Towards a Council of All Beings
John Seed
Manufacturer: New Society Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 086571133X

Customer Reviews:

Echoes of the Ancient Wisdom of the Earth.......2004-08-03

"Thinking Like a Mountain" is an elegant tapestry of writings, poems, and observations which plumb the depths of Ecological Philosophy. This little book is a labor of love,crafted skillfully, with fascinating illustrations that convey the harmony, complexity, and uniqueness of the Natural World.

the Reoccurring Theme which is centeral to this book is that in order for Humans to be Balanced and Functional, it is necessary that they open themselves and learn to develop an increased sensitivity to the incredible diversity and richness of Nature. Within this context the Human Self, over time, becomes gradually transformed into the "Ecological Self" in an intricately and infinitely bonded universe within which the boundaries between Humans and their Ecological Selves become merged and indistinguishable from each other.

From the different, yet complementary perspectives of the three authors, the reader will come to realize that "whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of Earth," and that Man himself does not "weave the Web of Life" but instead exists as a mere "strand" within this interactively intricate web.

This is a simplistic, yet profound, book of "Discovery," where we learn that Gaia is becoming increasingly aware of Herself, and the intricate cycles and interactions of her countless Life-Forms within the Global Biosphere. For anyone who loves Nature, and wishes to better comprehend the philosophical interactions between Humans and Natural World, this book will prove to be a rich resource for both Mind and Spirit. Elliott Maynard, Arcos Cielos Research Center.

There I was, sitting in a canyon, thinking like a mountain........2001-01-06

I read this book while sitting under a cottonwood tree at the bottom of the Grand Canyon (a "mountain lying down"). This collection of deep-ecology essays, teachings, meditations, and poems allowed me to experience my surroundings in a new way: "Every atom in this body existed before organic life emerged 4000 million years ago. Remember our childhood as minerals, as lava, as rocks? Rocks have the potentiality to weave themselves into such stuff as this. We are the rocks dancing" (p. 36).

This book's title is taken from the 1949 SAND COUNTY ALMANAC, in which Aldo Leopold warned us that unless we attempt to connect with our ecosystem by thinking like a mountain, disaster is inevitable. Stated differently by Thich Nhat Hanh, we must listen within ourselves to "the sounds of the earth crying" (p. 7). Contributors to this 122-page book include, among others, John Seed, Joanna Macy, Pat Fleming, Arne Naess, Gary Snyder, and Chief Seattle. John Seed recognizes that "nothing short of a total revolution in consciousness will be of lasting use in preserving the life-support systems of our planet" (p. 9). He reminds us that we are "part of the rainforest recently emerged into thinking" (p. 36). Joanna Macy observes that we touch the Earth by touching our face, by touching our brothers and sisters (pp. 60-61).

This thin book contains a mountain of deep thinking, including exercises designed to "help make us more conscious of our embeddedness in the web of life" (p. 80), and meditations to protect the Earth "from the blades of men unhinged by greed, prestige and authority" (p. 91): "Relax and breathe in, breathe in Mountain, I feel my rock-roots go deep deep down to where the Earth herself is very hot" (p. 80). Reading this book could change the way you think about your life. "When you think like a mountain, one also thinks like the black bear, so that honey dribbles down your fur as you catch the bus to work" (p. 39).

G. Merritt

Amazing book on the sacredness of all beings.......2000-06-25

Deep and thought provoking is how I found this book. Quotes and theories and musings upon how we are all connected and the impacts we have on one another on this green earth. Something in this book warmed my heart. Knowing there are others out there with incredible respect for even the most tiniest and seemingly insignificant creatures was very heartening. Other books that may compare are Machelle Wrights "Behaving as if the God in all life mattered" and any book concerning the spiritual community of Findhorn. I highly recommend this book to those of you who like a thoughtful read on Nature and spirit. Thanks Brenda Tataryn.

Eco-Spirituality: Toward a Reverent Life

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Eco-Friendly Christianity

Eco-Spirituality: Toward a Reverent Life
Charles Cummings
Manufacturer: Paulist Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Devotionals | Spirituality | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Eco-Friendly Christianity.......2000-03-20

I enjoyed reading Charlse Cummings' book ,"Eco-Spirituality. It is ever so hard to find any books that combine non-dogmatic Christianity with basic spirituality that it themed on the appreciation of God's creation through nature and Mr. Cummings does a good job in this book of briefly explaining all the different major Judeo-Christian religious movements in America and how they either helped or hindered their listeners from appreciating God's wonders through nature and he does so honestly and plainly without coming off as sectarin to any precise denomination. Rare and refreashing is that fact that Mr. Cummings' offer's the reader the best of both worlds in that he shares his views in a personal and yet non-hell bent God AND a natural appreciation of the natural world that enhances this. The only draw back I personally see in his expressed views is that he sees the restoration hope expressed in Revelation 21:1 and 2, the Psalms, Isaiah and 2 Peter as only symbolic. other than this, it is a fine and well written book.

Encountering the World: Toward an Ecological Psychology

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creative thinker and excellent writer

Encountering the World: Toward an Ecological Psychology
Edward S. Reed
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

Encountering the World reorients modern psychology by finding a viable middle ground between the study of nerve cells and cultural analysis. The emerging field of ecological psychology focuses on the "human niche" and our uniquely evolved modes of action and interaction. Rejecting both mechanistic cognitive science and reductionistic neuroscience, the author offers a new psychology that combines ecological and experimental methods to help us better understand the ways in which people and animals make their way through the world. The book provides a comprehensive treatment of ecological psychology and a unique synthesis of the work of Darwin, neural Darwinism, and modern ecologists with James Gibson's approach to perception. The author presents detailed discussions on communication, sociality, cognition, and language--topics often overlooked by ecological psychologists. Other issues covered include ecological approaches to animal behavior, neural mechanisms, perception, action, and interaction. Provocative and controversial, Encountering the World makes a significant contribution to the debate over the nature of psychology.

Customer Reviews:

creative thinker and excellent writer.......2000-08-11

I learned a great deal from this book-from beginning to end. Reed is not only a thinker of great scope but also of consistency. It's a little hard to tell that Reed is a philosopher and not just a psychologist, given how little philosophy he cites and how few purely conceptual arguments he engages in. But his theoretical consistency does give the book a strong philosophical cast.

Don't just read the first half of the book, where Reed lays out his conception of ecological psychology and explains how psychology is a much more ancient phenomenon in evolutionary history than we are led to believe by current cognitive science. The second half of the book offers interesting references to archeological and anthropological work for those whose primary interest is in psychology. It also describes early development in human childhood in a way that seems well aware of comparative-cultural issues. Thus the second part of the book could be interesting whether or not one is sympathetic to ecological psychology as a research program.

The Intellectual Commons: Toward an Ecology of Intellectual Property (Lexington Studies in Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy)
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The Intellectual Commons: Toward an Ecology of Intellectual Property (Lexington Studies in Social, Political, and Legal Philosophy)
Henry C. Mitchell
Manufacturer: Lexington Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Communications | Intellectual Property | Law | Subjects | Books
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Communications | Intellectual Property | Law | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0739113429

Book Description

The rapid emergence of digital media has created both new economic opportunities and new risks for authors, publishers, and users in regards to intellectual property. There is a theoretical conflict raging between those who believe information should be free and those attempting to protect intellectual property through surveillance and control of access. The Intellectual Commons works to develop a theory of intellectual property that is based on a theory of natural rights that assumes the existence of a natural world of intellectual resources.

Trusteeship in Change: Toward Tribal Autonomy in Resource Management (Women's West)

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Trusteeship in Change: Toward Tribal Autonomy in Resource Management (Women's West)

Manufacturer: University Press of Colorado
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0870816500

Book Description

Trusteeship in Change explores the evolution of Indian Affairs policies and administrative practices regarding the management of trust lands from treaty days to contemporary partnerships. A dozen scholars--from diverse fields such as archaeology, economics, forestry, environmental studies, history, geography, and political science--have come together to critically review past policies and practices and introduce new ideas and approaches for the future.

This volume also includes case studies concerning the management of wildlife, forest preservation, tribal hunting laws, and other concerns endemic to the preservation and utilization of the environment on Native American land. An excellent source for scholars in the fields of Native American and environmental studies, Trusteeship in Change is sure to spark debate and to be an important reference book for years to come.

Global Intelligence and Human Development: Toward an Ecology of Global Learning

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Global Intelligence and Human Development: Toward an Ecology of Global Learning
Mihai I. Spariosu
Manufacturer: The MIT Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0262195119

Book Description

Increasing concerns about the future of humankind that arise from threats of terrorism, nuclear war, and environmental destruction dramatize the fact that we must begin working collectively to change our ways of interacting with one another and with our habitat. In Global Intelligence and Human Development, Mihai Spariosu argues that the best way to bring about this change is through education. We need, he says, to create learning environments that help us to develop a "global mindset."

Spariosu presents a new conceptual framework for dealing with globalization from an intercultural perspective and outlines an innovative model of learning based on an ethics of global intelligence, which he defines as the ability to understand and work toward what will benefit all life on earth. This kind of understanding, he argues, can emerge only from ongoing intercultural dialogue and cooperation. He identifies the problems that pervade today's education system and then proposes concrete ways to begin moving toward global intelligence.

To overcome the adverse global consequences of prevalent Western scientific practices, Spariosu proposes a non-reductionist ecological model of science that draws on nonlinear concepts from general systems theory. He concludes that there is only one kind of science: human science, which incorporates the physical and the social sciences as well as the humanities and the arts, engaged in continuous dialogue and cooperation. In the final sections of the book he discusses ways in which universities could be reoriented toward promoting the kind of local-global leaning environments needed for sustainable human development. He proposes a new field of studies, intercultural knowledge management, that would encourage intercultural and transdisciplinary dialogue and teamwork.

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Beyond Green: Toward a Sustainable Art

Manufacturer: Smart Museum Of Art, The University Of C
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0935573429

Book Description

Balancing environmental, ethical, economic, and aesthetic concerns, sustainable design has the potential to transform everyday life and has already dramatically reshaped the practice of architecture. Beyond Green introduces a new generation of international artists who work at the intersection of sustainable design and contemporary art. The book explores the ways that this design strategy is being used-and sometimes intentionally misused-by an emerging group of artists who combine fresh aesthetic sensibilities with constructively critical approaches to the production, dissemination, and display of their art. Lavishly illustrated, the book also includes texts by and interviews with individual artists, along with substantial essays by exhibition curator Stephanie Smith and design historian Victor Margolin. What results is a bracing volume that will be of interest to practitioners and aficionados of design and art alike, as well as to environmentalists.

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