Placed People

Modern humans are given lots of labels. Some see humans as consumers: consumers of goods, services, and entertainment for the Economy. Some see humans as souls to be saved. Some say humans are destructive animals that must not think too highly of themselves at the peril of the planet. All of these often competing and contradictory labels beg the question: ""What are people for?"" This book locates the starting point for answering this question in a placed perspective, and examines what G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and Wendell Berry have to show us in this regard. These authors' rooted perspectives challenge us to see our communities and ourselves differently.

""Drawing on the insight and wisdom of G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and Wendell Berry, David Harden offers readers an answer to the age-old question, 'What are people for?' In doing so, Harden shows how our disenchanted world can be re-enchanted, the fragments of the modern age made whole, and the human put back in humanity. Placed People is a fine introduction to these influential writers and their significance.""

--Devin Brown, Asbury University

""Placed People opens new lines of inquiry relating to the lives and works of three significant twentieth-century apologists for a return to more thoughtful and sustainable relationships to the earth, God, and human communities . . . Harden's religious and value-sensitive examination of economy, ecology, ethics, and the humanities in Chesterton, Lewis, and Berry suggests paths to understanding human beings' 'placed' relationship in a rapidly changing world.""

--Ed Block, Emeritus Professor of English, Marquette University

David Harden received his PhD in English literature from Marquette University in 2013. He is an adjunct instructor at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.