Items related to On Garbage
Synopsis
How do we decide what is junk? The discarded remnants of our daily lives may no longer be useful to us, yet John Scanlan proposes in On Garbage that our trash is actually a treasure trove of artifacts that reveals intriguing insights into the modern human condition and the evolution of Western culture.
On Garbage is the first book to examine the detritus of Western culture in full range—not only material waste and ruin, but also residual or "broken" knowledge and the lingering remainders of cultural thought systems. Scanlan considers how Western philosophy, science, and technology attained mastery over nature through what can be seen as a prolonged act of cleansing, as scientists and philosophers weeded out incorrect, outmoded, or superseded knowledge. He also analyzes how disposal not only produces overwhelming mountains of waste, but creates dead bits of useless knowledge that permeate the reality of modern Western societies. He argues that physical and intellectual debris reveal new insights into the basic tenets of Western culture and, ultimately, that the abject reality of our disposable lives has led to us becoming the "garbage" of our times.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
John Scanlan is a cultural historian at the University of Central Lancashire. His previous books include On Garbage and Memory: Encounters with the Strange and the Familiar, both published by Reaktion Books.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Search results for On Garbage
Stock Image
On Garbage
Published by
Reaktion Books, United Kingdom, London, 2004
ISBN 10: 1861892225
ISBN 13: 9781861892225
Used
Paperback
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This is the first work to examine the detritus of our culture in its full range; garbage in this sense is not only material waste and ruin, environmental degradation and so on, but also residual or broken knowledge, useless concepts, the remainders of systems of intellectual and cultural thought. In this unique and original work (a kind of intellectual scavenging in its own right) the author shows why garbage is, perversely, the source of all that is valuable. The author considers how Western philosophy, science and technology attained mastery over nature through what can be seen as a prolonged act of cleansing, the disposal of incorrect, outmoded or superseded knowledge. By detailing the waste, ruin and nonsense that we have discarded, the author argues that we can learn new things about the accepted truths and basic building blocks of our culture; he throws new light on our modern condition by examining not what we have kept, but what we have thrown away. On Garbage shows that disposal causes not only the mountains of rubbish that we occasionally believe threatens to overwhelm us; it also creates a host of other garbage, particularly in the dead ends of useless knowledge and the often abject reality of our disposable lives. It turns out that we ourselves have become the garbage of our times. This bold and thought-provoking work will be of interest to readers in areas as diverse as cultural studies and social theory, the histories of philosophy, public health and the environment, as well as those interested in the aesthetics of contemporary art. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR002687765
Buy Used
US$ 21.34
US$ 7.58 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
On Garbage.
Seller: Antiquariat Hentrich (Inhaber Jens Blaseio), Berlin, Germany
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Gut. 207 S. Kartoniert. Kanten leichtt berieben; Deckel und wenige Seiten mit kleinen Eckknickspuren; Seitenränder etwas gedunkelt, sonst gut. [K 127]. Seller Inventory # 16186AB
Buy Used
US$ 47.75
US$ 18.54 shipping
Ships from Germany to U.S.A.
Ships from Germany to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
On Garbage
Seller: Mispah books, Redhill, SURRE, United Kingdom
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good. Good. Dust Jacket NOT present. CD WILL BE MISSING. . SHIPS FROM MULTIPLE LOCATIONS. book. Seller Inventory # ERICA82918618922256
Buy Used
US$ 164.56
US$ 33.85 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available