The ancient Roman orator Cicero famously believed, "If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." Contemporary philosopher Scott H. Moore agrees and puts this celebrated aphorism to the test.In How to Burn a Goat: Farming with the Philosophers, Moore speculates on the practice of farming through the lens of philosophy and literature. He weaves together a tapestry of philosophical reflections on work and leisure, the nature of the virtues, and the role and limitations of technology and higher education with personal reflections on the joys and trials of farm life on his Crawford, Texas, farm. Full of self-deprecating humor, Moore relates his own experience of a philosopher turned farmer. His efforts at scholar-farmer are haunted by questions from the world's great minds-"Does Plato's 'city of sows' ring true?," "Can Ockham help break a recalcitrant heifer?," "How can Heidegger help with raising swine?," "What insights does Iris Murdoch offer for pest control?" Combining insight with down-to-earth vignettes, Moore joins Wendell Berry, E. B. White, George Orwell, and many more in recognizing the truths deeply rooted in the management of the practical affairs of a farm. Moore argues that a return to agrarian roots is needed to restore Aristotelian wonder and wisdom in a world increasingly defined by technology. Rejecting the idea that humans are simply cogs in a wheel, he shows how greater human happiness can be found in the meaningful labor of tending to nature, rather than the ever-expanding march of automation.
Scott H. Moore is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Great Texts at Baylor University.
A Burnt Offering Buying Geese Coming to Terms with Shit Lambing Guinea Fowl Red in Tooth and Claw Playing by Ear Homecoming and the Future of Higher Education Doing It and Getting It Done Fallacy of Acquisition Mules Septic Matters Orphan Chicks Silky Smooth's Big Adventure To a Hare, From a Louse Farmers, Christians, and Intellectuals: Cultivating Humility and Hope New Guineas Skunks Rattlesnakes Dead Lambs Alexander McCall Smith Too Many Eggs Ockham, Iris, and the Show Cattle Wendell, Gene, and Joel: On the Difficulties of Theology and Agriculture Do Sweat the Small Stuff Not So Humble, but Near to the Ground Saving Spiders Snakes and Chicks Tolstoy and Pahom The Cow in the Parking Lot Back to the Rough Ground: The Consolations of Techne Calves E. B. White's Adventures in Contentment Gussie, Lloyd, and Mocha In Defense of Watching Grass Grow Orchards City of Sows Farming with the Philosophers: Work, Leisure, Wonder, and Gratitude Appendix Iris Murdoch's Vexed Relationship with Christian Faith
As deftly written, organized and presented, as it is inherently interesting, thoughtful and thought-provoking, How to Burn a Goat: Farming with the Philosophers is a unique and unreservedly recommended addition to both community and academic library Contemporary Philosophy collections and supplemental curriculum reading lists. -- "The Midwest Book Review" Moore's writing is entertaining and clear. He has a narrative gift combined with the technical training of a philosopher that allows him to clearly identify and analyze premises in thinking. --Karl C. Schaffenburg "University Bookman"
