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Profound transformations in human beings are necessary if we are to exist in harmony with ourselves, other beings and nature. Only if such transformations take place, can the deep social changes that degrowth proponents call for come about. Yet what mechanisms could contribute to trigger and support (or hinder) inner growth? This question, which remains largely unexplored in degrowth scholarship, is addressed in the present contribution. Drawing on critical realist philosophy, humanism and deep ecology, it introduces and develops the concept of deepgrowth. The concept denotes processes through which a human – through inner growth enabled and supported by multiple external and internal mechanisms – becomes a harmonious being. The paper reflects on human nature and identifies several mechanisms that may enable or constrain transformations in the selves of humans. These mechanisms are situated on various planes of social being: material transactions with nature, social interactions, social structures and inner being. Noting that degrowth scholarship ought to reflect more systematically upon eco-social policies in relation to inner being, the paper discusses how combinations of such policies may contribute to facilitate deepgrowth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, it is examined to what extent functions, as analysed in the philosophy of technical artefacts, can serve a role in explaining the aesthetic appreciation of these objects. The main conclusion is that, despite first appearances, so-called 'Functional Beauty' accounts cannot derive strength from analyses of artefact functions; on the contrary, these analyses constrain the possibilities for developing a suitable, function-based account of aesthetic appreciation. The paper follows a conceptual-engineering approach. After presenting desiderata for an account of aesthetic appreciation, relevant insights are reviewed that are drawn from philosophical work on artefact functions. Combining the desiderata and insights, three major issues are identified that complicate the relation between function ascriptions to and aesthetic appreciation of technical artefacts. In closing, options are offered for resolving these complications or avoiding them altogether. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper establishes the basis for a pragmatist-inspired theory of human action to predominant ideas about knowledge, learning and education. As a necessary prelude to an examination of pragmatist theory’s position on human action and its specific focus on habits and creativity, pragmatism is defined and then related to inquiry. Next, the fields of adult education and social movement learning are explored for their continued resonance with the main educational tenets of pragmatism. Following this, a separate section on habits and creativity is offered to highlight a key relationship for the design of educative environments. Knowledge is addressed in a section that explains it as a carrier of routine and a bridge in the individual-collective nexus. The paper ends with five features of an educative environment designed for social change, each of which is identified in relation to the tenets of pragmatist theory. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]