Paolo Palmieri

Humanistic Ecology: the Integration of Magic, Medicine, and Science - Humanities Paolo Palmieri

This book is a work of cultural, pedagogical, and social advocacy. It sketches the project of humanistic ecology, the idea that cultural, social, and educational renewal can and should be pursued within a humanistic framework. Humanistic ecology builds on the interrelatedness of traditions such as magic, medicine, and science, as exemplified in the history of Western civilization. Humanistic ecology aims at integrating forgotten or marginalized pathways to knowledge and wellbeing. It emphasizes their transformative power for the betterment of our lives. The book looks at the future but is informed with the spirit the past. Knowledge, happiness, and health are not inscribed in our genes, or in the social institutions of industrialized societies. In a nutshell, humanistic ecology envisions holistic forms of inquiry, learning, and healing, beyond the sectarian divisions of contemporary social and intellectual life.