Energy Dreams

Of Actuality

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ancient, Science & Nature, Science, Other Sciences, Philosophy & Social Aspects
Cover of the book Energy Dreams by Michael Marder, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael Marder ISBN: 9780231542838
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: March 21, 2017
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Michael Marder
ISBN: 9780231542838
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: March 21, 2017
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

The question of energy is among the most vital for the future of humanity and the flourishing of life on this planet. Yet, only very rarely (if at all) do we ask what energy is, what it means, what ends it serves, and how it is related to actuality, meaning-making, and instrumentality. Energy Dreams interrogates the ontology of energy from the first coinage of the word energeia by Aristotle to the current practice of fracking and the popularity of "energy drinks." Its sustained, multi-disciplinary investigation builds a theoretical infrastructure for an alternative energy paradigm.

This study unhinges stubbornly held assumptions about energy, conceived in terms of a resource to be violently extracted from the depths of the earth and from certain living beings (such as plants, converted into biofuels), a thing that, teetering on the verge of depletion, sparks off movement and is incompatible with the inertia of rest. Consulting the insights of philosophers, theologians, psychologists and psychoanalysts, economic and political theorists, and physicists, Michael Marder argues that energy is not only a coveted object of appropriation but also the subject who dreams of amassing it; that it not only resides in the dimension of depth but also circulates on the surface; that it activates rest as much as movement, potentiality as much as actuality; and that it is both the means and the end of our pursuits. Ultimately, Marder shows that, instead of being grounded in utopian naïveté, the dreams of another energy—to be procured without devastating everything in existence—derive from the suppressed concept of energy itself.

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

The question of energy is among the most vital for the future of humanity and the flourishing of life on this planet. Yet, only very rarely (if at all) do we ask what energy is, what it means, what ends it serves, and how it is related to actuality, meaning-making, and instrumentality. Energy Dreams interrogates the ontology of energy from the first coinage of the word energeia by Aristotle to the current practice of fracking and the popularity of "energy drinks." Its sustained, multi-disciplinary investigation builds a theoretical infrastructure for an alternative energy paradigm.

This study unhinges stubbornly held assumptions about energy, conceived in terms of a resource to be violently extracted from the depths of the earth and from certain living beings (such as plants, converted into biofuels), a thing that, teetering on the verge of depletion, sparks off movement and is incompatible with the inertia of rest. Consulting the insights of philosophers, theologians, psychologists and psychoanalysts, economic and political theorists, and physicists, Michael Marder argues that energy is not only a coveted object of appropriation but also the subject who dreams of amassing it; that it not only resides in the dimension of depth but also circulates on the surface; that it activates rest as much as movement, potentiality as much as actuality; and that it is both the means and the end of our pursuits. Ultimately, Marder shows that, instead of being grounded in utopian naïveté, the dreams of another energy—to be procured without devastating everything in existence—derive from the suppressed concept of energy itself.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Indians, Markets, and Rainforests by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Spectral Nationality by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Literary Culture in Taiwan by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Critical Theory at a Crossroads by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Facing Climate Change by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Reimagining the Sacred by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Achieving Permanence for Older Children and Youth in Foster Care by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Vital Conversations by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Hidden Atrocities by Michael Marder
Cover of the book The Credential Society by Michael Marder
Cover of the book The Columbia History of Latinos in the United States Since 1960 by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Developing Practice Guidelines for Social Work Intervention by Michael Marder
Cover of the book Ground Zero, Nagasaki by Michael Marder
Cover of the book American Literature’s Aesthetic Dimensions by Michael Marder
Cover of the book More Than You Know by Michael Marder
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