Synopses & Reviews
Alarmed by the disappearance of meadowlarks from the fields near his home, James Eggert embarked on a close study of the economic and ecological factors behind the loss. His inquiry led him to conclude that the meadowlarks survival is a metaphor for ours—that our future is intimately linked to the same interplay of economics, culture, technology, and spirituality. In this innovative educational book, Eggert helps readers understand how our environment is connected to—in fact, a vital part of—our economy and business culture. In the title essay, Eggert critiques free-market capitalism, borrowing from Thoreau as he investigates what he calls “meadowlark values” in education and business. The author highlights the “preciousness of the Earth itself ” and persuasively describes the creative possibilities in using science, culture, evolutionary history, and spiritual traditions to gain a deeper understanding of how we might heal the planet. A foreword by environmentalist Bill McKibben and an afterword by renowned Buddhist thinker Thich Nhat Hahn add context to this authoritative supplement to current economics texts.
About the Author
James Eggert lives with his wife Pat in rural west-central Wisconsin. He is an emeritus faculty member from the University of Wisconsin-Stout (Menomonie, Wisconsin) where he has taught undergraduate students for thirty-three years. Eggert has written five other books including
What Is Economics (4th ed),
Invitation to Economics, and
The Wonder of the Tao, as well as numerous articles for journals, popular magazines, and newspapers.
Eggert was a recipient of the university's Outstanding Teaching Award, and for many years, advised the student Environmental Club, GreenSense. He currently serves on the Town of Colfax plan commission, and is a member of the Wisconsin Environmental Educators, as well as the Thoreau Society. The author has been cited in Who's Who in America as well as Who's Who in American Education.
Eggert practices (and teaches) the Chinese art of tai chi, studies field-botany, and is an avid amateur astronomer. Eggert studied economics at Lawrence University in Appleton Wisconsin, served in Kenya, East Africa with the U.S. Peace Corps (1964-1966), and later did graduate work in economics at Michigan State University. The author and his wife have two adult children, Anthony and Leslie.