Crazy Mountains: Learning from Wilderness to Weigh Technology (S U N Y Series in Environmental Public Policy) [Paperback]

David Strong (Author)

Book Description

Series: Suny Series in Environmental Public Policy | Publication Date: October 19, 1995

Reality is slipping away, writes David Strong in Crazy Mountains, and is being eroded by a glut of technological devices and commodities. But all is not lost if we learn to care for the things at the center of the good life. Written in the tradition of Walden and A River Runs Through It with philosophical clarity and literary power, this book opens with a vivid account of the Crazy Mountains of Montana, an island of high, craggy peaks, forest, meadows, and rushing streams, surrounded by the sweep of the high plains. A newly-bulldozed road and a planned timber sale jeopardize the wild character of the range and trigger the wide-ranging reflections of this remarkable book. Technology is transforming Earth in increasingly extensive ways, and Strong urges us to awaken from the spell of technology-from the unexamined belief that its devices and commodities make our lives good. He warns that even an environmental ethic can be subverted by the glamorous pull of the consumer culture. From wilderness we learn what things are real and how this reality can re-order our lives, our communities, and our nation. We learn another way to be. This is a one-of-a-kind book. It soars gracefully, yet presents a comprehensive vision of the challenge wilderness offers to our contemporary culture.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Strong is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Rocky Mountain College.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: State University of New York Press (October 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0791426521
• ISBN-13: 978-0791426524
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,508,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but derivative, May 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Crazy Mountains: Learning from Wilderness to Weigh Technology (S U N Y Series in Environmental Public Policy) (Paperback)

A good book that answers the tough philosphical question--what makes vicarious technological experience less rich than 'authentic' experience. Borrows a lot from author's mentor's work which is excellent--Albert Borgmann's Technology and the Characater of contemporary life

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight into technology, May 9, 2007

By 

"Eco" Adam (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crazy Mountains: Learning from Wilderness to Weigh Technology (S U N Y Series in Environmental Public Policy) (Paperback)

Strong gets to the heart of the matter of modern technological society in Crazy Mountains. He explores the nature of technology and how it casts its spell on modern society. The solution he discusses for resisting this hold of technology on our lives is insightful and provocative. Drawing from Albert Borgmann's work, he brings a level of eloquence and personal interaction to the discussion not found in Borgmann.