Robert Frodeman
Robert Frodeman Professor and former Chair, Dept of Philosophy and Religion Studies, University of North Texas, previously at the University of Colorado, is Director of UNT's Center for the Study of Interdisciplinarity. A student of Alphonso Lingis and Stanley Rosen, Frodeman works in the areas of environmental ethics and environmental philosophy, the philosophy of geology, and the philosophy of science policy, and has written an extensive body of peer-reviewed academic work in these areas. Throughout his work he emphasizes the role that philosophy can play in addressing ongoing societal controversies such as acid mine drainage, global climate change, and Hurricane Katrina. His most recent work focuses on the theory and practice of interdisciplinary approaches to knowledge. Frodeman also is part of UNT's emphasis on 'field philosophy' where philosophers emphasize working with scientists, engineers, and policy makers rather than an extensive focus on writing and working with other philosophers.
As of the fall of 2008 Frodeman is the founding director of UNT's Center for the Study of Interdisciplinarity (CSID). CSID focuses on identifying best practices for interdisciplinary research and education, and views the last 100 years of disciplinarity across the academy as breaking down under the pressure of complex problems and the overproduction of knowledge. Frodeman is also the editor of the Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity (2010), second edition forthcoming 2015.
Biography
Frodeman attended St. Louis University, where he gained degrees in History and Philosophy, Pennsylvania State University, where he obtained a Ph.D. in Philosophy, and the University of Colorado, where he then obtained a M.S. degree in Geology. In the 1990s he consulted for the US Geological Survey on questions of science policy.
His research focuses on environmental philosophy and public policy and the theory and practice of interdisciplinary research and education. The UNT PhD program in Philosophy that he directs emphasizes 'field' approaches to philosophy where philosophers work with scientists, engineers, and policy makers.
He has written 100 articles, has authored or edited 10 books, and has held grants and awards totaling $2 million. From 2001 he directed the interdisciplinary project New Directions: Science, Humanities, Policy —absorbed by CSID in 2008. CSID was closed in 2014.
He is the author or editor of:
- Frodeman, R. (2000). Earth Matters: The Earth Sciences, Philosophy, And The Claims Of Community. Upper Saddle River, NJ.: Prentice Hall. ISBN 978-0-13-011996-4.
- Frodeman, R. (2003). Geo-Logic: Breaking Ground Between Philosophy And The Earth Sciences. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-5601-9.
- Foltz, B.V.; Frodeman, R. (2004). Rethinking Nature: Essays In Environmental Philosophy. Bloomington, Ind.: Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34440-3.
- Callicott, B.; Frodeman, R. (2008). Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy. Detroit, MI.: Cengage. ISBN 978-0-02-866137-7.
- Frodeman, R., et al., ed. (2010). Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity Sustainable Knowledge. Oxford University Press.
- Frodeman, R. (2014). Sustainable Knowledge: a theory of interdisciplinarity. Palgrave MacMillan.
- Frodeman, R.; Briggle, A. (2016). Socrates Tenured: the institutions of 21st Century Philosophy. Roman & Littlefield.
References
- Monaghan, Peter (2003-04-18). "Earth Sciences Through the Lens of Humanities, Arts, and Theology". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
- Briggle, Frodeman (2014-07-16). "Wanted: a future for philosophy". The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved 2014-08-03.