A Philosopher Looks at the Weather

Raising profound questions about our control over the natural world, this book explores human beings' multifaceted relationship with the weather.

A Philosopher Looks at the Weather argues that weather is a powerful force that shapes how we live. As we have developed technologies to forecast, harness, and shield people from what is happening in the atmosphere, so too have we changed our attitudes about meteorological conditions and who we are.From barometers to the famous BBC shipping forecast, we have – over the centuries – developed the means to predict, harness, and shield ourselves from what is happening in the atmosphere. Attitudes about the planet's weather, as well as about human identity, have thereby taken on new meanings. In an era of climatic anxiety, what weather is and how weather behaves have taken on additional currency. Benjamin Hale weaves together philosophy and anecdote into a many-faceted exploration of this powerful force that shapes who we are and how we think about our place in the world. He argues that in our drive to 'scientize' weather, with all the technological advances in managing, anticipating, and understanding it, we also risk distancing ourselves from weather and losing a complete sense of what it is. This entertaining book reminds us that the weather is and always will be in some sense outside our control, and that consequently we are and forever will be learning to live alongside it.