Reflections, Observations, and Analyses Pertaining to the Canadian Political Scene
Friday, November 21, 2014
Putting Us In Our Place
Pit the arrogance of humanity against the power of nature, and nature prevails every time. A pity that those who are determining earth's fate refuse to acknowledge that simple truth.
Hi Lorne, Good point! Capitalism is a really reductionist view of the world that is really dis-empowering for communities. The answer is always some vague market force. What do you think of the relative decline of philosophy linking the importance of nature to our daily lives? I find it strange that nature is treated as something 'out there'. Perhaps it's because we have done such a great job creating our own worlds that we don't take notice of what truly sustains us. I never see any discourse in media about working with nature. Everything about nature here in Nova Scotia is either about how we're destroying it, over-harvesting or just trying to maximize production for profit. There are few, if any, hiking journals presented as an example. Thoughts?
Thanks for your comments, Tim. One of the people who I think helps put nature into a perspective that we can relate to is David Suzuki. While many of his warnings over the years have been of the kind you describe, to watch some of the documentaries he hosts on The Nature of Things is an opportunity, not to take nature for granted, but to be in awe of it. I think the same can be said of nature documentaries in general. The complexity, diversity and sheer wonder of what goes on in the larger world we seldom think about is an invitation to marvel at, not be contemptuous of, nature.
Speaking in the language of economics, Susuki also talks about the world in terms of natural capital. For example, trees, instead of being seen as commodities to be harvested, should be looked upon as the lungs of the world. Since we live in a time when our political masters have inculcated a market mentality, this can be, I think, an effective approach.
There is no doubt that the market place mentality of contemporary society has made opposing views more difficult to be heard. A book that deals with that topic, which I am currently reading and highly recommend, is What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Market, by Michael J. Sandel. His thesis is that the current love affair with markets and their efficiencies are problematic in a number of ways, one of them being the debasement that occurs when all things are considered fit for market forces.
Hope my response helps to address the issues you raised.
What are those poor buggers going to do when the rains arrive tomorrow? That rooftop snow will soak up that rain, and its weight, like a sponge.
That post I put up last night (now reposted with proper formatting) crossed a threshold. The scientific community wants to debate whether to give up the pretence that a 2C cap is remotely achievable. That's the sort of thing they used to say only in private. To put that out in public has an element of throwing in the towel to it. They still believe that beyond 2C lies catastrophe. They just conclude there's no way we'll avoid it. That's putting one's cards on the table.
Hi Lorne,
ReplyDeleteGood point! Capitalism is a really reductionist view of the world that is really dis-empowering for communities. The answer is always some vague market force.
What do you think of the relative decline of philosophy linking the importance of nature to our daily lives? I find it strange that nature is treated as something 'out there'. Perhaps it's because we have done such a great job creating our own worlds that we don't take notice of what truly sustains us. I never see any discourse in media about working with nature. Everything about nature here in Nova Scotia is either about how we're destroying it, over-harvesting or just trying to maximize production for profit. There are few, if any, hiking journals presented as an example.
Thoughts?
Thanks.
Thanks for your comments, Tim. One of the people who I think helps put nature into a perspective that we can relate to is David Suzuki. While many of his warnings over the years have been of the kind you describe, to watch some of the documentaries he hosts on The Nature of Things is an opportunity, not to take nature for granted, but to be in awe of it. I think the same can be said of nature documentaries in general. The complexity, diversity and sheer wonder of what goes on in the larger world we seldom think about is an invitation to marvel at, not be contemptuous of, nature.
DeleteSpeaking in the language of economics, Susuki also talks about the world in terms of natural capital. For example, trees, instead of being seen as commodities to be harvested, should be looked upon as the lungs of the world. Since we live in a time when our political masters have inculcated a market mentality, this can be, I think, an effective approach.
There is no doubt that the market place mentality of contemporary society has made opposing views more difficult to be heard. A book that deals with that topic, which I am currently reading and highly recommend, is What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Market, by Michael J. Sandel. His thesis is that the current love affair with markets and their efficiencies are problematic in a number of ways, one of them being the debasement that occurs when all things are considered fit for market forces.
Hope my response helps to address the issues you raised.
What are those poor buggers going to do when the rains arrive tomorrow? That rooftop snow will soak up that rain, and its weight, like a sponge.
ReplyDeleteThat post I put up last night (now reposted with proper formatting) crossed a threshold. The scientific community wants to debate whether to give up the pretence that a 2C cap is remotely achievable. That's the sort of thing they used to say only in private. To put that out in public has an element of throwing in the towel to it. They still believe that beyond 2C lies catastrophe. They just conclude there's no way we'll avoid it. That's putting one's cards on the table.
Now is the time for brutal and frank facts, Mound. As for Buffalo, the apocalyptic nature of the disaster will be evident with the melting.
DeleteBuffalo has reminded us yet again, Lorne, that Nature refused to do our bidding.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad that our overlords continue on as if it does, Owen.
Delete