Trash Talks

Revelations in the Rubbish

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, History
Cover of the book Trash Talks by Elizabeth V. Spelman, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Elizabeth V. Spelman ISBN: 9780190239374
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: March 31, 2016
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Elizabeth V. Spelman
ISBN: 9780190239374
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: March 31, 2016
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

A lively investigation of the intimate connections we maintain with the things we toss away It's hard to think of trash as anything but a growing menace. Our communities face crises over what to do with the mountains of rubbish we produce, the enormous amount of biological waste generated by humans and animals, and the truckloads of electronic equipment judged to be obsolete. All this effluvia poses widespread problems for human health, the well-being of the planet, and the quality of our lives. But though our notorious habits of disposal have put us well on the way to making the earth inhospitable to life, our relation to rejectamenta includes much more than shedding and tossing. In Trash Talks, philosopher Elizabeth V. Spelman explores the extent to which we rely on trash and waste to make sense of our lives. Examples are rich: We use people's rubbish to gain information about them. We trumpet wastefulness as a means of signaling social status. We take the occupation of handling trash and garbage as revelatory of possible moral or spiritual shortcomings. We are intrigued by or in distress over the idea that evolution is a prodigiously wasteful process and that it is to the dustbin that each of us, and our species, shall ultimately repair. In the heaps of our trash, some see consequences of dissatisfaction, while others find confirmation of a flourishing consumer economy. While we may want to shove debris and detritus out of sight, many of our most impassioned projects involve keeping these objects resolutely in mind. Trash talks, and there is much of which it speaks.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A lively investigation of the intimate connections we maintain with the things we toss away It's hard to think of trash as anything but a growing menace. Our communities face crises over what to do with the mountains of rubbish we produce, the enormous amount of biological waste generated by humans and animals, and the truckloads of electronic equipment judged to be obsolete. All this effluvia poses widespread problems for human health, the well-being of the planet, and the quality of our lives. But though our notorious habits of disposal have put us well on the way to making the earth inhospitable to life, our relation to rejectamenta includes much more than shedding and tossing. In Trash Talks, philosopher Elizabeth V. Spelman explores the extent to which we rely on trash and waste to make sense of our lives. Examples are rich: We use people's rubbish to gain information about them. We trumpet wastefulness as a means of signaling social status. We take the occupation of handling trash and garbage as revelatory of possible moral or spiritual shortcomings. We are intrigued by or in distress over the idea that evolution is a prodigiously wasteful process and that it is to the dustbin that each of us, and our species, shall ultimately repair. In the heaps of our trash, some see consequences of dissatisfaction, while others find confirmation of a flourishing consumer economy. While we may want to shove debris and detritus out of sight, many of our most impassioned projects involve keeping these objects resolutely in mind. Trash talks, and there is much of which it speaks.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book Critical Service Learning Toolkit by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Lottery Winner by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Abolition of Slavery: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Assessment and Intervention with Children and Adolescents Who Misuse Fire by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book A Time for War by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Black Prometheus by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Need to Know by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book The Comparative Approach to American History by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Changing Worlds by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Black Atlantic in the Age of Revolutions: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Entangled Narratives by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book The Morality of Happiness by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book White People, Indians, and Highlanders by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Africa's Endangered Languages by Elizabeth V. Spelman
Cover of the book Beyond the Roof of the World by Elizabeth V. Spelman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy