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Klappentext Never in history has life been so complicated and full of sudden changes. Technology, the environment, and the way we work and relate to one another are all in upheaval. With wit, humor, a calm voice, and great authority, Swimming Lessons gives a clear view of what our world has become - notjust our successes, but also the destruction set loose by our own genius and inventions. In addition, it offers practical, non-utopian suggestions for keeping afloat in the dangerous waters of the 21st century's globalized civilization. Whether it is describing a comical brainstorming session in a Washington boardroom or a close encounter with an Alaskan grizzly and her cubs, Swimming Lessons is a delight to read. Trained in history, medicine, and zoology, David Ehrenfeld brings a grand perspective to his challenging task. Hewrites not just as a scientist, but as one who values and understands the social sciences and humanities as well. In the first half of Swimming Lessons, we learn to recognize the lies we live: about education, new military weapons systems, biotechnology, electronic pseudocommunities, and acceleratedobsolescence. We also learn about the deadly corporate economics that affect every aspect of our lives, even environmental conservation. The second half reveals the pitfalls and opportunities in the main tasks we face: relating to nature in a manmade world and restoring our damagedcommunities. Zusammenfassung David Ehrenfeld is a highly esteemed writer on ecology and conservation biology. The founding editor of The Journal of Conservation Biology and author of The Arrogance of Humanism and Beginning Again, his new book is an elegant study of the cost to human dignity and potential, of the shrinking wilderness and the ongoing degredation of the environment. He ruminates on the impacts of short-sighted governmental and economic policies, and of new technologies on human values and communities, tracing the human impacts upon the urban, agricultural and wilderness environments. Ehrenfeld has a unique, unmistakable voice as a major spokesperson for the conservation ethic and the human values implicit in environmentalism and conservation biology. This book should appeal strongly to readers of Ehrenfeld's earlier books and essays, and reach and satisfy a broad constituency on the green end of the political spectrum. Inhaltsverzeichnis Section 1: The Lies We Live Brainstorming Pretending The Magic of the Internet Nothing Simple Sherlock, Nero, and Us Section 2: Wrecking Our Society--A Manual Rejecting Gifts Adaptation Forecast: Chilly, Overcast, Light Drizzle, No People Left Pseudocommunities Obsolescence Social Evolution Versus Sudden Change Writing Section 3: Deadly Economics Affluence and Austerity Durable Goods Spending Our Capital Saving by Selling Hot Spots and the Globalization of Conservation The Gingko and the Stump The Death Penalty Section 4: Relating to Nature in a Manmade World The Vine Cleaners A Connoisseur of Nature Death of a Plastic Palm Scientific Discoveries and Nature's Mysteries I Reinvent Agriculture Thinking about Breeds and Species Teaching Field Ecology More Field Ecology: Rightofway Island A Walk in the Woods Degrees of Intimacy Section 5. Restoring the Community The Utopia Fallacy Traditions Jane Austen and the World of the Community Universities and Their Communities An Invalid's Guide Swimming Lessons Bibliography and Suggested Readings ...
