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.
Acknowledgments Introduction to the 10th Anniversary Edition Introduction
PART I. The Problem of Education Chapter 1. What Is Education For? Chapter 2. The Dangers of Education Chapter 3-+ The Problem of Education Chapter 4-+ The Business of Education
PART II. First Principles Chapter 5. Love Chpater 6. Some Thoughts on Intelligence Chapter 7. Reflections on Water and Oil Chapter 8. Virtue Chapter 9. Forests and Trees Chaper 10. Politics Chapter 11. Economics Chapter 12. Judgment: Pascal's Wager and Economics in a Hotter Time
PART III. Rethinking Education Chapter 13. Rating Colleges Chapter 14-+ The Problem of Disciplines and the Discipline of Problems Chapter 15. Professionalism and the Human Prospect Chapter 16. Designing Minds Chapter 17. Architecture as Pedagogy Chapter 18. Agriculture and the Liberal Arts Chapter 19. Educating a Constituency for the Long Haul
PART IV. Destinations Chapter 20. Love It or Lose It: The Coming Biophilia Revolution Chapter 21. A World That Takes Its Environment Seriously Chapter 22. Prices and the Life Exchanged: Costs of the U.S. Food System Chapter 23. Refugees or Homecomers? Conjectures About the Future of Rural America Chapter 24. Hope in Hard Times
Conclusion: Earth in Mind Index
"David Orr is a seasoned doer as well as thinker, whose primary concern—education—could be the very pivot on which our society turns back toward life. If such dramatic and necessary change in our teaching and learning does begin, much will be owed to the ideas herein."
