Philosophical issues often lie at the heart of societal problems, yet it is rare for philosophers to be actively engaged in the search for solutions. Conventionally, philosophy prioritizes the written word and the seminar room while living at a remove from everyday life. In contrast, field philosophy, the approach invoked by the chapters in this book, emphasizes the immediacy of the spoken word and engages people in their daily activities to help them understand the philosophical elements ...

This book is a guide for understanding climate change. It takes an interdisciplinary approach because climate change is simultaneously a matter of science, engineering, economics, politics, culture, ethics, and more. A Field Guide to Climate Change thus follows the contours of climate change as it appears in the world—as a tangle of problems. Briggle presents climate literacy as a form of problem-posing by offering a set of tools for understanding how problems get framed, debated,...

In this creative exploration of climate change and the big questions confronting our high-energy civilization, Adam Briggle connects the history of philosophy with current events to shed light on the Anthropocene (the age of humanity).Briggle offers a framework to help us understand the many perspectives and policies on climate change. He does so through the idea that energy is a paradox: changing sameness. From this perennial philosophical mystery, he argues that a high-energy civ...

Professional philosophy has strayed so far from its roots that Socrates wouldn’t stand a chance of landing tenure in most departments today. After all, he spent his time talking with people from all walks of life rather than being buried in the secondary literature and polishing arguments for peer-reviewed journals. Yet somehow this hypertrophy styles itself ‘real’ philosophy.Socrates Tenured diagnoses the pathologies of contemporary philosophy and shows how the field can be revita...

Winner of the Writers' League of Texas Book AwardsFinalist for the J. Anthony Lukas Book PrizeFrom the front lines of the fracking debate, a “field philosopher” explores one of our most divisive technologies.When philosophy professor Adam Briggle moved to Denton, Texas, he had never heard of fracking. Only five years later he would successfully lead a citizens' initiative to ban hydraulic fracturing in Denton—the first Texas town to ...

Modern technology has changed the way we live, work, play, communicate, fight, love, and die. Yet few works have systematically explored these changes in light of their implications for individual and social welfare. How can we conceptualize and evaluate the influence of technology on human well-being? Bringing together scholars from a cross-section of disciplines, this volume combines an empirical investigation of technology and its social, psychological, and political effects, and a phil...

Who owns your genes? What does climate science imply for policy? Do corporations conduct honest research? Should we teach intelligent design? Humans are creating a new world through science. The kind of world we are creating will not simply be decided by expanding scientific knowledge, but will depend on views about good and bad, right and wrong. These visions, in turn, depend on critical thinking, cogent argument and informed judgement. In this book, Adam Briggle and Carl Mitcham help rea...

From the front lines of the fracking debate, a “field philosopher” explores one of our most divisive technologies.When philosophy professor Adam Briggle moved to Denton, Texas, he had never heard of fracking. Only five years later he would successfully lead a citizens' initiative to ban hydraulic fracturing in Denton-the first Texas town to challenge the oil and gas industry. On his journey to learn about fracking and its effects, he leaped from the ivory tower into the fray.

This study guide contains fundamental sociological definitions and principles which are specifically designed to aid students. Topics covered include: social structure & culture, formal organizations, socialization & deviance, basic concepts of demography, population changes, social inequality & stratification, social classes, race, gender & inequality, economy, politics & education, family, religion & more!

Re-Thinking Science presents an account of the dynamic relationship between society and science. Despite the mounting evidence of a much closer, interactive relationship between society and science, current debate still seems to turn on the need to maintain a 'line' to demarcate them. The view persists that there is a one-way communication flow from science to society - with scant attention given to the ways in which society communicates with science.The authors argue that...

This book attempts to rethink the concept of technological literacy in a modern context, not only in terms of a subject area taught in schools, but also as an important general concept that all citizens should engage with. As this book will illustrate, the concept of technological literacy has no universally agreed definition.

Tar Sands critically examines the frenzied development in the Canadian tar sands and the far-reaching implications for all of North America. Bitumen, the sticky stuff that ancients used to glue the Tower of Babel together, is the world’s most expensive hydrocarbon. This difficult-to-find resource has made Canada the number-one supplier of oil to the United States, and every major oil company now owns a lease in the Alberta tar sands. The region has become a global...