Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion
You are here: Home >
John Foster

John Foster

Honorary/Visiting

County South
Lancaster University
Bailrigg
Lancaster
United Kingdom
LA1 4YL


Tel: +44 1524 5 92655

 

I don't have research interests, leaving those to scientists, but I do sometimes think and (less frequently) write things. My books and articles have explored the conceptual and socio-political assumptions of environmental economics and the idea of natural capital. I have also written about sustainability and education, particularly the relations between scientific, social-scientific and humanities modes of sustainable education. My book The Sustainability Mirage (Earthscan, 2008) offered a critique of the currently dominant sustainability paradigm. I am currently writing a book to be brought out by Earthscan/Routledge in 2014, about what we do, and in particular how we go on hoping, once we stop trying to pretend that "sustainable development" policies are going to save us from major climate-related chaos and breakdown.

Current Teaching

Since 2004 I have worked as a freelance, developing and running the Philosophy Department's Schools Outreach Programme, which introduces philosophy topics to school students from Year 6 to Year 11 and supports AS/A2 teaching in Sixth Forms. I am continuing this work within PPR, and also extending the programme (with the help of a grant from the Lancaster Alumni) to include outreach based on the other disciplines within the new department. For details of the outreach programme, click here.

I am a member of the British Philosophical Association's A-level teaching panel, and have conducted a study funded by the Higher Education Academy looking at the involvement of undergraduates in outreach philosophy work.

Intermittently I do some undergraduate teaching for the Department.

Additional Information

Worked in school teaching, public sector management and consultancy before joining the Centre for the Study of Environmental Change as a researcher in 1992. Launched and directed (1998-2001) the innovative MA in Environment, Culture and Society. As management convenor of CSEC, initiated and led the creation of the Institute for Environment, Philosophy and Public Policy out of the Centre and (an earlier version of )the Philosophy Department, and was its Associate Director 2000-01.

2008

The Sustainability Mirage: Illusion and reality in the coming war on climate change

Foster, J. 2008 London: Earthscan.

Research output: Book/Report/ProceedingsBook

2005

Learning, natural capital and sustainable development: options for an uncertain world.

Foster, J. & Gough, S. 2005 London: Routledge. 138 p.

Research output: Book/Report/ProceedingsBook

Making sense of stewardship: metaphorical thinking and the environment.

Foster, J. 02/2005 In: Environmental Education Research. 11, 1, p. 25-36, 12 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal article

Options, sustainability policy and the spontaneous order.

Foster, J. 02/2005 In: Environmental Education Research. 11, 1, p. 115-135, 21 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal article

2003

Sustainablility and the implicit curriculum.

Foster, J. 2003 Key issues in sustainable development and learning: a critical review. Scott, W. & Gough, S. (eds.). London: Routledge, p. 111-112 2 p.

Research output: Contribution in Book/Report/ProceedingsChapter

2002

Sustainability, Higher Education and the Learning Society.

Foster, J. 02/2002 In: Environmental Education Research. 8, 1, p. 35-41, 7 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal article

2001

Review of 'Criticism and the environmental crisis'.

Foster, J. 11/2001 In: Environmental Values. 10, 4, p. 541-546, 6 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal article

Education as sustainability.

Foster, J. 05/2001 In: Environmental Education Research. 7, 2, p. 153-165, 13 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal article

Contribution to mini-symposium.

Bowers, C., Foster, J. & Jickling, B. 05/2001 In: Environmental Education Research. 7, 2, p. 183-184, 2 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal article

1999

What Price Interdisciplinarity?: Crossing the curriculum in environmental higher education.

Foster, J. 11/1999 In: Journal of Geography in Higher Education. 23, 3, p. 358-366, 9 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal article

1997

Valuing nature?: ethics, economics and the environment.

Foster, J. (ed.) 1997 London: Routledge. 273 p.

Research output: Book/Report/ProceedingsBook

1994

Beyond costs and benefits: weighing environmental goods.

Foster, J. 1994 In: Analyse and Kritik. 2/94, p. 133-149, 17 p.

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal article

| Home | About | Undergraduate | Postgraduate | Research | Staff | News and Events | Contact Us | Current Students | Schools Outreach |
Department of Politics, Philos ophy and Religion County South, Lancaster University, LA1 4YL, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1524 594260  Fax: +44 (0) 1524 594238 Email: ppr@lancaster.ac.uk

Save this page: delicious logo Del.icio.us Digg It Reddit Reddit Facebook Stumble It Stumble It!