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Philosophy for Gardeners

Ideas and paradoxes to ponder in the garden
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Philosophy for Gardeners by Kate Collyns invites readers to explore life’s big questions through the thoughtful and practical art of gardening. Blending philosophy with everyday garden tasks, it reveals gardeners as natural philosophersβ€”existentialists planning their own rules, stoics enduring nature’s trials, and curious observers of extraordinary plant processes. The book is divided into four sectionsβ€”Soil, Growth, Harvest, and Cyclesβ€”each delving into philosophical ideas inspired by the garden. It connects concepts from science, aesthetics, ethics, and politics, making this a fascinating read for both gardening enthusiasts and students of philosophy alike.
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Format: Hardback
$3699
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Ideal for gardeners seeking deeper meaning in their passion and philosophy students interested in real-world applications of abstract ideas. Also suited for readers who enjoy thoughtful essays on life, nature, and existence.

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In Philosophy for Gardeners, Kate Collyns uses aspects of gardening to introduce and explore a range of philosophical ideas and schools of thought.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Explore ideas, consider the big questions and learn life lessons in your garden. Gardening is an innately thoughtful as well as practical pastime: planning ahead, imagining how plants will grow, deciding what will make a good garden, wondering at the beauty of flowers and noticing how ecosystems work. This delightful and engaging collection of essays illustrates how many philosophical ideas arise naturally in gardeners' everyday work. Growers by their nature are in fact already philosophers:

  • existentialists who try to live and work by their own rules in a garden;
  • stoics who put up with slug damage again and again, and try to work in harmony with nature;
  • and practical quantum scientists who witness incredible processes going on in plant cells beneath the ground.

In Philosophy for Gardeners, Kate Collyns uses aspects of gardening to introduce and explore a range of philosophical ideas and schools of thought; cultivating a greater understanding and appreciation of intriguing concepts, propagated from science, evolution and aesthetics through to politics, economics and ethics. Broken into four sections, Soil, Growth, Harvest and Cycles, each section explores questions of philosophy through the lens of the garden. A fascinating read, this book is as perfect for students of philosophy as it is for gardeners, filled with thought-provoking reflections on life, being and existence.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780711268210

Publisher: Quarto Publishing PLC

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 29 March 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Frances Lincoln

Illustration: 60 black and white images

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 155.0mm

Height: 210.0mm

Weight: 460g

Pages: 144

About the Author

Kate Collyns is a gardener and philosopher. She set up her sustainable market garden at Hartley Farm in Wiltshire following her graduation of the Soil Association's Horticultural Apprenticeship in 2010. Kate has an MA in Philosophy from the University of London, and likes nothing better than to ponder the existential nature of the universe whilst weeding a bed of lettuce.

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