'Education, Nature, and Society' is the title of Steve Gough's latest book for Routledge, and he generously gave me a copy last week. Here's a taste of the book, from the website:
"Environmental issues continue to divide opinion, sometimes in extreme ways. Almost everyone agrees that education has a role to play in ensuring the future of humanity on Earth. Some think we should all learn to leave a minimal environmental footprint; others argue that education should promote economic growth, because only growth can generate the capital needed to develop solutions to environmental problems. Advocates on each side often find the views of their opponents simply incredible, giving rise to accusations of bad faith or poor science.
This book explores the foundations of the debate by examining human interrelations with Nature. It takes an educational perspective, but also draws on evidence from anthropology, economics, ecology, policy sciences and natural history. The case presented is that any coherent view of the purposes and potential of education requires a theory of human society in the natural world. For such a theory, education (and, more broadly, learning) must be more than an instrument for the achievement of personal or policy goals. Rather, it is an integral, continuing and necessary component of personal and policy development. On this basis, a novel approach to curriculum design and implementation is outlined."
This made me want to abandon my plans and just read. I did this and got half-way through before life intervened meaning I had to finish it later on. The book promised both wit and wisdom, and I wasn't disappointed. This is a book that will be appreciated by those who like disparate ideas being brought constructively together, and one that should be read by those who are much too certain about things as minds may well be changed: In particular, I'd recommend it to those who ...
- think that ESD is the answer, as they might come to wonder if they have posed the right question.
- describe everything they don't like as "neoliberal", as they might pause for thought
- go on about "future-proofing", as they might just hang their heads
- think they have the plan for all our futures, as they might sober up
- confuse 'nature' and 'environment', as they might pop outside and think more carefully
- think that basic economic ideas are amenable to being recast to suit circumstance, prejudice or purpose, as they might read more widely
- think that just because our world is socially constructed, we can construct it any way we like, as they might reflect on their excessive potty training
- ...
I'll let you continue this list yourselves when you've read it – as you surely must.
Respond