Emerson, Macy, and the evolution of participatory epistemology .

摘要

Characterizing Ralph Waldo Emerson and Joanna Macy as participatory epistemologists, and comparing them in this light, requires that their writings be contextualized within the ontological framework of the contemporary participatory literature. Focusing particularly on the participatory response to the Cartesian world view, and examining the alternative offered in its stead, underscores the evolving themes in participatory thought during the century and a half from Emerson's time to Macy's. Emphasizing the primary role of participatory mind as an epistemological alternative to Descartes's transcendental thinker, accentuates the magnitude of the shift participatory thinkers offer.;This comparison of Emerson and Macy, in the context of the contemporary participatory literature, uncovers the history of an evolving participatory world view. Simultaneously, this research argues that Emerson and Macy contribute significantly to the body of participatory thought, with their similar commitment to the importance of nondual experience as a source of knowledge. Finally, this dissertation demonstrates that Emerson and Macy reconceive epistemology in a participatory context, and by identifying nondual experience as a normative locus of knowing, offer an alternative to Cartesian rationalism and mind-body dualism.