Overcoming energy gluttony: A philosophical perspective
Zygon 46 (4):915-928 (2011)
| Abstract | Abstract As there are food gluttons, so there are energy gluttons. One difference is that energy gluttons are typically oblivious to how much energy they consume and the source of that energy. Their energy gluttony is a side effect of insatiable desire for material goods, which themselves are often associated with social status. Nonetheless, steps taken to deal with energy gluttony parallel those taken with food gluttony. Typically these fall into three categories: educational, political, and technological. I will examine a fourth, however, best characterized as philosophical. I will show how, by following the advice of the ancient Stoics and training ourselves to care less what others think of us, we can help overcome our desire for social status, resulting in a reduction in our desire for material things and a significant reduction in our personal energy bill. The pessimistic conclusion, however, is that most people are probably unwilling to undergo the self-analysis and self-transformation that this philosophical approach requires | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,701 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesBruce A. McDaniel (1983). Economic and Social Foundations of Solar Energy. Environmental Ethics 5 (2):155-168.
Narendra Katkar (2011). 'Speed of Light -A Fundamental Retrospection to Prospection'. Journal of American Science 7 (5):16.
David Pimentel (1991). Ethanol Fuels: Energy Security, Economics, and the Environment. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 4 (1).
Larry L. Rasmussen, Normand M. Laurendeau & Dan Solomon (2011). Introduction to “the Energy Transition: Religious and Cultural Perspectives”. Zygon 46 (4):872-889.
Robert A. Larmer (1986). Mind-Body Interactionism and the Conservation of Energy. International Philosophical Quarterly 26 (September):277-85.
Kenneth Sayre (1981). Morality, Energy, and the Environment. Environmental Ethics 3 (1):5-18.
Shigenori Nagatomo (2002). Ki -Energy: Invisible Psychophysical Energy. Asian Philosophy 12 (3):173 – 181.
C. Hoefer (2000). Energy Conservation in GTR. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part B 31 (2):187-199.
R. V. Ravikrishna (2011). Sustainable Energy for Rural India. Zygon 46 (4):942-956.
Larry L. Rasmussen (2011). Energy: The Challenges to and From Religion. Zygon 46 (4):985-1002.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2011-11-25Total downloads9 ( #114,124 of 549,119 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,361 of 549,119 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
