ABSTRACT

Offers a new, original way of framing questions about knowledge. Knowledge and Civilization advances detailed criticism of philosophy's usual approach to knowledge and describes a redirection, away from textbook problems of epistemology, toward an ecological philosophy of technology and civilization. Rejecting theories that confine knowledge to language or discourse, Allen situates knowledge in the greater field of artifacts, technical performance, and human evolution. His wide ranging considerations draw on ideas from evolutionary biology, archaeology, anthropology, and the history of cities, art, and technology.

chapter |7 pages

Introduction

part One|82 pages

Knowledge

chapter 1|49 pages

What Was Epistemology?

chapter 2|30 pages

The Art of Knowledge

part Three|117 pages

Knowledge, Evolution, Civilization

chapter 6|45 pages

Evolving Knowledge

chapter 7|41 pages

Civilizing Knowledge

chapter 8|27 pages

The Ultimate Context