Festschrift on the Work of Bryan Norton Published

Posted March 28, 2019

Bryan Norton, professor emeritus in the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy, has long been lauded for his pioneering scholarship in environmental philosophy and sustainability theory. 

Now, Norton’s influential thought and legacy has been honored in the first festschrift of his work, which was recently published by Springer International and compiled by University of Texas at Austin Professor Sahotra Sarkar and Arizona State University in Tempe Professor Ben A. Minteer.

The book, entitled A Sustainable Philosophy - The Work of Bryan Norton, gathers together a distinguished group of scholars and professionals from many fields, including environmental philosophy, natural resource management, environmental economics, law, and public policy, to engage Norton’s work and its legacy for society's shared environmental future.

Sarkar and Minteer believe the festschrift will be an invaluable resource for scholars and students in the fields of environmental philosophy, public policy and management, and environmental and sustainability studies.

“We want the book to be a celebration and deep analysis of Bryan’s work, as well as a critical engagement of it by those he’s influenced (i.e., fellow philosophers, but also historians, biologists, economists, legal scholars, and so on),” Minteer said. “But we also want the book to spur some forward-looking discussions about the practice and goals of environmental ethics and sustainability studies, especially as new generations enter the fray and look to carry many of these ideas forward.”

Norton received his Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Michigan in 1970, specializing in the philosophy of science and conceptual change in, and across, scientific disciplines. He writes on inter-generational equity, sustainability theory, bio-diversity policy and on valuation methods. His specialty is the integration of spatio-temporal scaling considerations into sustainability criteria. 

He is currently working to develop a flexible notion of sustainability that recognizes the challenges of a rapidly changing climate. Norton also continues to meet with and teach students in Public Policy, where he occasionally offers graduate-level courses in sustainability theory. 

A Sustainable Philosophy - The Work of Bryan Norton can be purchased as a hardcover or eBook through Springer International.

The School of Public Policy is a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.