Joseph Rouse is professor of philosophy at Wesleyan University, where he is also affiliated with the Science in Society and Environmental Studies programs. He is the author of four previous books, including Articulating the World: Conceptual Understanding and the Scientific Image and How Scientific Practices Matter: Reclaiming Philosophical Naturalism, both also published by the University of Chicago Press.
“A compelling philosophical account of the human, which transcends the ancient and problematic dichotomies of biology and society, mind and body, and so on, requires both deep and multidisciplinary expertise and philosophical subtlety. Rouse is one of a very few contemporary philosophers with the requisite skill set for this task. Building on the core notions of practice and niche construction, Rouse provides a philosophy of what he calls natureculture that is fully naturalistic without being reductive. This book will provide a benchmark for approaches to this fundamental philosophical topic for some time to come.” -- John Dupré, University of Exeter “Rouse is once again on the vanguard of social theory. His naturecultural approach profoundly rethinks practice theory, demonstrating the interdependence of human practices with both the material environment and other organisms. It makes available new ways to think about central topics in philosophy and the social sciences, including normativity, discourse, power, and temporality. I will be reflecting on the consequences of this work for some time.” -- Mark Risjord, Emory University