Our approach to knowing and doing is based on delegating physical phenomena to physicists, biological phenomena to biologists, social phenomena to sociologists, economic phenomena to economists, and so on. This approach to knowledge and practice works very well when one category of phenomena dominates (as in mechanical and technical systems), but does not work when many categories of phenomena make significant contributions (as in the biological and cultural spheres). As a result, our civilization succeeds in its scientific and technical endeavours yet fails in dealing with communities and ecosystems.Following his groundbreaking Labyrinth of Technology and Living in the Labyrinth of Technology, Willem H. Vanderburg's Our War on Ourselves explores the type of war we have unleashed on our lives by emphasizing discipline-based processes. The work also illuminates how we can achieve a more balanced, livable, and sustainable future by combining technical and cultural perspectives in our educational and institutional settings.
Willem H. Vanderburg has taught preventive engineering, sociology, and environmental studies at the Centre for Technology and Social Development at the University of Toronto.
CONTENTS Preface Introduction A CIVILIZATION OF NON-SENSE?Failure to Connect the Dots? Science as Biased Knowing Technology as Biased Doing Opposing BiasesSome ConsequencesWhere Do We Go From Here?How We Shall ProceedChapter 1SYMBOLIZATION: GETTING IN TOUCH WITH OURSELVES AND THE WORLD Living a LifeBabies Getting in Touch with Themselves and the World Words as SignsLanguage and OrderThe Self and Cultural Order The True and the RealMyths and the TrueThe True, the Other, and Myself Chapter 2DESYMBOLIZATION: LOSING TOUCH WITH OURSELVES AND THE WORLD Undermining Symbolization Television as an Introduction to What Is Real Computers as the Playground of What Is Real High School Science as the Imagination of What Is Real The Emerging Order of What Is Real Chapter 3COLLIDING ORDERS AND THE TRIUMPH OF THE REAL Re-engineering a Symbolic SpeciesThe Emerging Technological OrderA Growing Dependence on Matter and Energy The Emerging Economic OrderDesymbolizing the Cultural OrderMaking the Collision Liveable Chapter 4THE TRIUMPH OF THE TECHNICAL ORDER OVER CULTURAL ORDERS Symbolization and TraditionsDesymbolization and Tradition-Based Knowing and Doing Rationality within CultureTechnique within CultureThe Economy within the Technical OrderPossessed by New MythsThe University as a Bridgehead? Chapter 5 DESYMBOLIZATION AND RESYMBOLIZATIONIs Resymbolization Possible? A Starting Point Resymbolizing Economics Resymbolizing the Social Sciences Resymbolizing Engineering Resymbolizing Management Resymbolizing Medicine Resymbolizing Legal Education Community Colleges Epilogue: Power and Non-power Notes
