A Field Philosopher's Guide to Fracking

August 3, 2015
Briggle, a philosophy professor at the University of North Texas, had never heard of fracking until he moved to Denton, Tex., in 2009. But he soon learned that there are 250 gas wells in Denton alone, “that fracking had sparked a global energy revolution,” and that it had become a “contentious political issue.” In this blunt yet hopeful chronology, Briggle confers with scientists, engineers, policy makers, and fellow citizens to gain a broad overview of fracking. Known technically as hydraulic fracturing, the process involves blasting rock formations with sand, water, and chemicals in order to extract oil and gas. Briggle details its negative effects on the environment and the health risks it poses to surrounding communities. He works on a grassroots level as well to ban fracking in Denton itself, helping to establish the Denton Stakeholder Drilling Advisory Group, whose campaign efforts and accomplishments form a chunk of the narrative. And because positions on fracking don’t neatly map onto traditional American political notions of left and right, Briggle delineates the competing worldviews of those he dubs “precautionaries” and “proactionaries.” Briggle’s philosophical framing of the conversation sets his work apart and helps provide further insight on this divisive topic.

Starred review from June 15, 2015
Out of the university and into the streets, Briggle (Philosophy/Univ. of North Texas) brings the practice of "field philosophy" to the question of whether fracking is feckless or feasible. The author seeks to demonstrate that philosophical practice can be socially engaged and practical. The rush of technology is a case in point. We usually take the technological wager, "gambling on the success of future innovations to bail us out of problems created by present innovations....The question is whether we can establish conditions to make it a fair and reasonable bet. In the case of fracking...these conditions are largely not in place." Briggle is an advocate of the "proactionary" school, which in the big picture "says that rather than avoid error we should take risks in the pursuit of profound truths and great rewards." On the micro level, the author asks if the risks of fracking are too harmful to outweigh its development in his college town of Denton. Briggle calls on Thomas Hobbes, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, and other philosophers for advice, but he distills the complexity of technological innovation into three elements to assure a "fair and reasonable bet": those most vulnerable to harm must give consent, a system of monitoring must attend the experiment, and the experiment must be modifiable when problems arise. These all come to bear when a group is organized to confront the energy industry and the dangers of fracking. It is a fraught story, but Briggle tells it warmly and cogently, exploring both the interpersonal relationships involved and some of the geological science behind fracking. The rogues are the usual suspects: PAC money, the Data Quality Act, and the merchants of greed who pathetically hide in groups with names like "Taxpayers for a Strong Economy." Goliath takes it right between the eyes in this unique take on the convoluted politics, science, and cultural issues at stake regarding fracking.

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October 1, 2015
What do we do about the imbalance between technological innovation and unintended consequences, in this case cheap energy from fracking versus environmental and health concerns? The question was more than a philosophical exercise for Briggle, a philosophy professor who helped ban hydraulic fracturing in Denton, Texas. A self-described field philosopher bringing the arcana of philosophy to the real world, Briggle applied his knowledge of environmental issues and his concerns as a resident and parent to growing controversy surrounding the very loose regulation of oil drilling in Texas and the impact of communities with gas wells in their backyards. Briggle follows the tumultuous three-year journey as he led a citizens' initiative to stop fracking in the first Texas town to challenge the powerful oil and gas industry. Along the way, he encountered industry insiders proclaiming the unchallenged notion of economic benefit, environmental activists as unyielding as their opponents, and citizens often confused and uninformed about the intricate balance between economics and environmental and health issues. Briggle offers a compelling look at the environmental issues and a broader look at citizen engagement in ethics and social policy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)