Search results for ""Author Craig Dilworth""
Cambridge University Press Too Smart for our Own Good
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£46.54
Cambridge University Press Too Smart for our Own Good The Ecological Predicament of Humankind
Book SynopsisWe are destroying our natural environment at a constantly increasing pace, and in so doing undermining the preconditions of our own existence. Why is this so? This book reveals that our ecologically disruptive behaviour is in fact rooted in our very nature as a species. Drawing on evolution theory, biology, anthropology, archaeology, economics, environmental science and history, this book explains the ecological predicament of humankind by placing it in the context of the first scientific theory of our species' development, taking over where Darwin left off. The theory presented is applied in detail to the whole of our seven-million-year history. Due to its comprehensiveness, and in part thanks to its extensive glossary and index, this book can function as a compact encyclopÃdia covering the whole development of Homo sapiens. It would also suit a variety of courses in the life and social sciences. Most importantly, Too Smart for our Own Good makes evident the very core of the paradigm Trade Review'Dilworth's book is very interesting, well written, and based on an incredible amount of research. It provides a thoroughly novel view of extremely important issues, one which will add considerably to the discussion concerning limits to growth.' Dennis Meadows, co-author of Limits to Growth'[Dilworth's] economics discussions are on target. I congratulate him on his very comprehensive undertaking.' Herman Daly, author of Steady-State Economics'An impressive volume - comprehensive and scholarly. The book's central ideas are of critical importance for humankind.' Tony McMichael, author of Human Frontiers, Environments and Disease (Cambridge University Press, 2001)'[Dilworth] writes extremely well, is widely read, and has a unique wealth of knowledge. This book is unique in its coverage and presentation; and the examples it provides are excellent.' David Pimentel, Food, Energy and Society'… a very fine piece of work, and most welcome as we humans careen toward crisis and disaster. I hope the book gets widely discussed and perhaps even starts to change the extraordinarily ignorant, fantasy-driven media discussions of contemporary problems that seem to focus on aspects of ideology and belief to the neglect of the underlying processes that, I increasingly fear, are driving us to ruin. … I like the book very much. It is a piece of first-rate scholarship written in a clear and engaging style. … I would like to see this book widely read by a literate general audience. It could also serve as the basic text for upper division courses in human ecology in departments of anthropology, sociology, geography (and maybe even economics).' Allen W. Johnson, co-author of The Evolution of Human Societies'Dilworth's book is an exceptionally 'good read' and is a synthesis of many important components (ecological, social, and technological) that are commonly treated in isolation from each other. Information is provided in a systematic and orderly way, and the flow from one idea to the next is almost seamless. The book also has a wealth of useful references. … is well written and should be important to anyone interested in the future of civilization and homo sapiens. Such breadth and depth in a single book are rare.' The Journal of Environmental Conservation'I would honestly have to say that this is one of the most important books I've ever read. Let me warn you though that it will not leave you all warm and fuzzy and filled with hope, as the author's conclusion is that, along with the title, we are 'too dumb to do anything about it'. All evidence so far would indicate that he is correct, and if you read the book you will know why.' Ronnie Wright, World Change Café'In general, Dilworth makes it clear that throughout history, population control has been integral to functioning societies, and he goes to a lot of effort to document that. He shows how we have ignored that history in the past 200 years, to the point where population is hardly mentioned, despite its being the basic cause of everything going wrong … This is an excellent, scholarly work. Cherry pick and you'll get the gist, although spending a few days on the book would be somewhat more rewarding.' Harold Welch'Dilworth has done as much, I believe, as any one person can be expected to do in this kind of project, especially considering that he worked on it over a [fifteen]-year period without any funding or staff support. Moreover, it is possible that this invaluable kind of multidisciplinary broad thinking can only be done by one person working alone, as was the case with Charles Darwin.' Sam B. Hopkins'Too Smart [for our Own Good] has [a] great advantage over the regular scaremongers; it presents a properly formulated scientific theory to explain why we so consistently ruin our environment in the pursuit of making a living. The book's vicious circle principle (VCP) explains why the introduction of each new technology is invariably a response to vital need rather than greed, as is commonly believed. Moreover the vital need that the advance hopes to meet has been caused by the overuse of a previous technology. This is clearly illustrated with many examples over a 100,000-year period!' Damon Dane'This book is well written and should be important to anyone interested in the future of civilization and Homosapiens. Such breadth and depth in a single book are rare!' John Cairns, Jr, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University'… this is an important book, which effectively challenges the conventional view of the nature of human development.' Mick Common, Ecological Economics'This is a comprehensive and thought-provoking text, describing the early evolution and historical development of humans in relation to the increasing use of natural resources and consequent environmental change … The text would undoubtedly be useful in stimulating debate, particularly in providing a comprehensive historical context in which to place current uncertainties surrounding human responses to climate change and loss of biodiversity … this book offers a fascinating overview of human history and evolution from the point of view of a specific philosophical perspective.' Area'… an excellent resource for students … The history of evolution, the glossary, the illustrations, and the persuasive arguments backed up by the comprehensive literature review add to the quality of the book. An impressive and informative undertaking. This book is a must read for those concerned about the future of the human race and hoping for lessons from the past.' EnvironmentsTable of ContentsPreface; Introduction; 1. Scientific ground rules; 2. The new views in anthropology, archaeology and economics; 3. Theoretical background to the vicious circle principle; 4. The vicious circle principle of the development of humankind; 5. The development of humankind; 6. The vicious circle today; 7. … and too dumb to change; Conclusion; Glossary; Notes; References; Index.
£94.99
Rlpg/Galleys Simplicity
Book SynopsisSimplicity presents a new, wide-ranging philosophical theory, one that concerns how reality is conceived. In so doing it also provides a new logic with which to approach conceptual situations. In this book, Craig Dilworth replaces the dualistic, true/false approach of formal logic with a three-part basis for thought. This basis consists of the categories of simplicity, complexity, and nothingness. The category of simplicity is paradoxical, while that of complexity is unproblematic, and that of nothingness is self-contradictory. When applied to ontological categories, such as those of substance, self, or causality, these categories of reason can resolve, rather than solve, intellectual issues. The notion of perspective is integral to the simplicity way of thinking. A particular entitysuch as the selfmay be conceived as simple in one perspective, while being complex or nothing in another. Combined with the categories of the simplicity theory, Dilworth uses the notion of perspective to reveal a type of conceptual conflict that differs from contradiction. So, for example, simplicity better represents the relation between competing scientific theoriessuch as the wave and particle theories of radiationas a form of perspectival incompatibility. The book distinguishes between two forms of simplicity: analytic and synthetic, which can respectively be conceived of as a point and a whole. Again, the notion of perspective is employed: what is analytically simple in one perspective may well be synthetically simple in another. In this book, the simplicity way of thinking is applied to intellectual issues in philosophy, set theory, and physics. These applications show how simplicity can provide real insight into a wide variety of conceptually complex situations.Trade ReviewDilworth’s book is an extraordinarily insightful reflection on one of the most comprehensive of philosophical subjects, metaphysical categories. Dilworth illuminates a great variety of philosophical ideas, often in binary pairs requiring subtle distinctions. . . .Simplicity is not an easy book, as it requires constant shifting among perspectives and levels of thought. But Dilworth aids the reader with a set of novel conceptual tools. . . .[the author] avoids siding with any school of thought, which is important in grasping the work’s originality. . . .Simplicity deserves and will deeply reward careful attention by a wide range of those interested in metaphysics. It is a signal advance in category theory. * Review of Metaphysics *All in all, in my view Simplicity belongs in that rarified pantheon of masterpieces on fundamental metaphysics and category theory (what Dilworth calls meta-metaphysics), which includes Plato’s Sophist, Aristotle’s Categories, Aquinas’ On Being and Essence, Descartes’ Meditations, Berkeley’s Principles, Hume’s Treatise, Kant’s Critiques, Bradley’s Appearance and Reality, Russell’s Logical Atomism, Wittgenstein’s Tractatus and Philosophical Investigations, Husserl’s Ideas, Strawson’s Individuals, and Butchvarov’s Being Qua Being, as well as foundational work in logic and mathematics by Aristotle, Euclid, Newton, Leibniz, Boole, Cantor, Frege, Russell, Gödel, Boolos, and Prior. Beside these, Dilworth’s effort is worthy indeed. -- J. K. Swindler, Illinois State UniversityThe impression I have got [of Simplicity] is unconditionally positive: one perceives that a long meditation and detailed reflection have paved the way to the production of this book, which is remarkable for its clarity and systematicity, and whose structure shows an absolute internal consistency. I also appreciate the originality of much of the contents of the work. It is brought to a very stimulating unity under the powerful impulsion of the concept of simplicity, of which [Dilworth] shows the fruitfulness of a great deal of unsuspected potentialities. -- Evandro Agazzi, University of Genoa[T]he writing for the most part is lucid and very pedagogical, it flows well and is highly readable for such an abstruse topic. -- Lars Hertzberg, Åbo Akademi UniversityThe philosophers before the twentieth century used to build their philosophies on grand visions of the world and reality. With the advent of analytical philosophy, the usefulness of this approach was called in question and the focus moved to the methodology of philosophy. Now the primary goal was to reach solid conclusions with as precise methods as possible, to the price of considering only narrow problems. In the present book, Craig Dilworth succeeds in combining the best in the classical and the modern tradition. In his youth, he had an overwhelming vision of the metaphysical character of the world and reality, a character which he calls simplicity. In the book, he gives a mature exposition of this idea. Using the methods of analytical philosophy, he draws conclusions from this insight — for philosophy in general and for an understanding of the nature and role of metaphysics in particular. Irrespective of whether a reader agrees with everything in the book or not, it is always interesting and stimulating reading. -- Kaj Børge Hansen, Uppsala UniversityTable of ContentsList of Principles and Definitions Foreword Chapter 1: What is Philosophy? Chapter 2: Simplicity Chapter 3: Various Kinds of Category and Principle Chapter 4: Ontology vs. Epistemology Chapter 5: Understanding vs. Knowledge Chapter 6: Fundamental Conceptual Principles Chapter 7: Non-Physical Dimensions Chapter 8: Language Chapter 9: Set Theory Chapter 10: Paradox Chapter 11: Empiricism vs. Rationalism Chapter 12: Empiricism vs. Realism Chapter 13: The Special Theory of Relativity Chapter 14: Quantum Mechanics Chapter 15: God Chapter 16: Ethics Chapter 17: Love, Death, and Aesthetics Chapter 18: Buddhist Philosophy Chapter 19: Taoist Philosophy
£82.80
