'A major and highly original contribution to the social sciences, Our War on Ourselves is also important from an experiential standpoint. Using the best general theory of culture that we have, Willem H. Vanderburg tackles the most pressing existential problem of our time - the loss of meaning and the collapse of cultural unity. This book should appeal to all serious readers and everyone in academic life, especially those who have begun to question our terminal overspecialization.' -- Richard Stivers, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Illinois State University 'Astounding, urgent, and highly accessible, Our War on Ourselves takes its place rightly alongside other crucial texts about what it is to live (or try to) in our world. This greatly important book lays bare the many difficulties we face living in a society organized for, by, and around technology, then provides the solutions we will need if we want to regain our lives. Willem H. Vanderburg writes with the passion and clarity of the very best scholarship, bringing together deep insights on politics, economics, high technology, and spirituality in a manner that few writers can. Our War on Ourselves clearly represents an enormous investment of thought, care, and love for the world, and it will be read by professionals from all disciplines, as well as citizens who truly care about our planet and its inhabitants.' -- Tim Blackmore, Faculty of Information and Media Studies, University of Western Ontario

Our approach to knowing and doing is based on delegating physical phenomena to physicists, biological phenomena to biologists, social phenomena to sociologists, economic phenomena to economists, and so on. This approach to knowledge and practice works very well when one category of phenomena dominates (as in mechanical and technical systems), but does not work when many categories of phenomena make significant contributions (as in the biological and cultural spheres). As a result, our civilization succeeds in its scientific and technical endeavours yet fails in dealing with communities and ecosystems.

Following his groundbreaking Labyrinth of Technology and Living in the Labyrinth of Technology, Willem H. Vanderburg's Our War on Ourselves explores the type of war we have unleashed on our lives by emphasizing discipline-based processes. The work also illuminates how we can achieve a more balanced, livable, and sustainable future by combining technical and cultural perspectives in our educational and institutional settings.