As I’ve read Who Rules the Earth (Steinberg 2015), the influence of rules in our world has been made very clear to me. Even at times when I feel far away from the influence of social rules, I am under their jurisdiction in some sense or another. Steinberg describes this vey well, stating that “many […]
Post 3 (Due Apr 17)
Student posts below addressed the following: "Summarize the main argument underlying the WRE text, with citations/quotes as evidence, and reflect on how it may apply to your scholarly and personal life."
The Power of Art and Science
I found Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives by Paul Steinberg, to be the most enlightening text we read in environmental studies. The most profound overarching theme in this book was the importance of bridging the gap between researchers and activists. With his own personal background in both […]
Rules and Institutions Rule the Earth?
Introduction The last part of ENVS 160 has been devoted to the book, Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives, by Paul F. Steinberg. By reading this book, we, as a class, have learned about social rules, institutions, and norms. The main argument Steinberg presents is that to find […]
Who Rules The Earth? A guide to real change.
I’ve always wondered what the best possible solution to solving our environmental and ecological crisis is? There is a lot of talk, promises, and small things being done that don’t seem to have the effect we want. Even so I have remained optimistic and books like Who Rules the Earth fuel that optimism. This book […]
Internalizing Vertically to Alter Mindsets
Who Rules the Earth is a book that tries to, as succinctly as possible, condense many ideals and methods that we can utilize in order to try and find the best way to move forward towards a sustainable future. I believe that the main argument underlying the text is that we must take action by […]
Rethinking Individual Action: Channeling Environmentalism Into Institutions
Paul F. Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth? (2015) presents environmental theories that challenge the way society approaches and teaches environmentalism. Steinberg’s central argument is that institutional action is far more likely to make positive world changes than an individually focused mindset. In other words, we need to think big. Steinberg provides numerous examples of successful institutional […]
An Unexpected Takeaway
The ideas that Paul Steinberg illustrates in his book Who Rules the Earth? (2015) are controversial to say the least. To many, it seems farfetched to take a social sciences stance within the discussion of climate change, but Steinberg manages to not only defend his ideas, but to even make the reader question their personal […]
Focusing In On Social Rules
Paul F Steinberg the author of “Who Rules the Earth” emphasizes the presence of social rules in relation to current environmental thought and policy. The common trend in environmental thinking today focuses on “the small changes we can make as individuals, which (we are told) will add up to something big” (Steinberg 2015,5), while making […]
Rules Rule the Earth
Rules are everywhere. And, as Paul Steinberg hints in his book’s title, Who Rules the Earth? it matters where those rules come from and how they are formed. For most, we forget that our right to own private property and ability to vote are actually rules drafted in our […]
Steinberg’s “P’s”: Process, Patterns, Property, and Politics.
INTRODUCTION Paul F. Steinberg, the author of Who Rules the Earth, works to underline the extent to which social rules are present and actively forming our individual perspectives on the planet and ourselves. Steinberg situates these social rules as both roadblocks and accelerators within the world of environmental progress seen in sustainable efforts. He examines […]
Learning the Rules of the Game
Paul F. Steinberg explains how those of us who want to make a difference should go about doing it in his book, Who Rules the Earth?. He does so in an enlightening and thought-provoking manner that clearly articulates where we have failed in the past and what we must do now. Steinberg argues that in […]
Up for the Challenge
In Chapter One of Who Rules the Earth: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives written by Paul Steinberg, he lays out his intention for the book by stating, “This book is an attempt to distill insights from that research and to share the findings with those who need them most: intelligent reader […]
Rules, Conflicts, and Misunderstandings
Following a few overwhelming discussions on classic and contemporary approaches to environmental discussion, Who Rules the Earth, by Paul Steinberg, provides a more conclusive approach. While integrating the contradictions prevalent in environmentally-oriented discourse, Steinberg moved past the bickering of individual researchers and provided, while still opinion-based, offers different approaches in addressing issues such as climate […]
New Rules For a Brighter Future
In Paul Steinbergs book, Who Rules the Earth?, he describes how social rules affect the world around us as well as how people respond to these rules. Steinberg recognizes that in order for the world to progress, social changes are necessary and according to him, there are two things that social change entail- to get […]
Rules Will Always Reign
Paul Steinberg’s main argument in Who Rules the Earth? (2015) is that if we want to create any sort of change for the environment then we must first look towards the social rules to implement this change. The social rules are the rules and institutions that govern our lives, including the laws and regulations as […]
How do we change? Dismissing preconceived notions.
In the last portion of the ENVS 160 course, we discussed Paul F Steinberg’s “Who Rules the Earth.” One of the main focuses of this text is change on the institutional level rather than the individual (Steinberg 2015). Steinberg tells us that this old adage of “think globally, act locally” is not a plausible goal, […]
Institutional or Individual; Why Not Both?
While reading Paul F. Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth, I have noticed that it often times can be hard to piece together the main argument that he is trying to prove. Steinberg talks about many useful things in varying degrees of detail, and while this can be incredibly useful it also makes the bigger argument […]
We Rule The Earth, If We Decide To
Argument Summary The main argument of the book Who Rules The Earth, written by Paul F. Steinberg is, in my opinion, that institutional change can make a difference. While individual action may seem like the only action that one is able to take, institutional change is the sort of change that can really affect things […]
Exposing the Invisible Web
Paul Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth addresses a core question that environmentalists have grappled with for decades. What kind of actions and decisions are needed to move the world in a sustainable direction? Steinberg argues that the only way to truly change the world for the better is to change the social rules that guide […]
Social Rules in a Nutshell
Who Rules the Earth in a nutshell In Who Rules the Earth?: How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives, Paul F. Steinberg emphasizes the idea of social rules and how social rules are everywhere. Social rules and regulations are in fact a part of every aspect of our lives even if we may not notice them at […]
Who Rules the Earth and Analyzing my Actions as an Individual
Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth is about about the importance of institutional and governmental action in creating social rules across the globe. He discusses governmental actions at all levels, and despite the fact that governmental control can in some cases be bad, it is essential, especially at federal or central levels. One aspect that Steinberg […]
The Light of Action at the End of an Uncertain Tunnel
Who Rules the Earth has been a nice way to end out the semester. While many of the books we have read have been quite productive, most focus on how mismanaged environmental action is, the faults in common perceptions and schools of thought about the environment, and the disagreement sown throughout discussions dealing with environmental […]
We Rule the Earth
Before reading Paul Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth? How Social Rules Shape Our Planet and Our Lives I was a strong advocate for individual level action against climate change. I had a complete lack of faith in the system (anything above my local community/government), which stemmed from the fact that I had an apparent lack of understanding […]
Bridging the Local and the Global
Introduction It is difficult to say that Who Rules the Earth? has one central argument; the book is more accurately described as having a general mission to provide a precise and useful account of social rules. Steinberg documents these social rules in the context of a serious attempt to explain the entirety of environmentalism on […]
Individual or Institutional: How to Make a Difference
Different themes emerge and make themselves prominent as I continue to read Paul F. Steinberg’s Who Rules the Earth?. He covers a vast array of subjects, drawing inspiration from diverse topics, from the migration patterns of the cerulean warbler to the specifics of the emergence of cap and trade from the sulfur dioxide market, and […]