The following is my response to the conversation about human nature and corporate/capitalist culture that arose in response to the animation "A very short history of man's relationship with the natural world" at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU&feature=player_embedded.
As a biologist, I believe that we and all our living kin evolved through happy accident in an indifferent universe. This "accident" is actually a creative and selective process that unfolded across a gazillion independent organismal lineages in parallel, making all extant organisms the incredibly unlikely and intricately functional beings that they are. Some of those lines generated "sociality", a multiplicity of sort-of-related themes that encompass empathy, non-selfish motivation and compassion, the 'love' of family and community, and even a capacity to revere and protect at least some other life forms. In a broad sense, this sociality encompasses even 'simple' multicellularity, where many 'individuals' (cells) give up their rights to progeny to serve the greater mission. This whole 'accident' of biological evolution is the only thing in my imagination that might deserve to wear the moniker 'GOD', aside from the unfathomable creation of the whole damn universe. As human beings, we are part of it. Our selfish drives for preservation and even control over our neighbors is as natural, and even more primordial, than our social inclinations. That does not make us uniquely ugly in an otherwise glorious universe. But it does provide something we need to be aware of and deliberately rein in as we recognize the finite bounds of our planet, and proceed to attempt the almost godly act of reinvention of our relationship to each other and our biosphere that we now have the opportunity to go for. Let's give it our best shot! David On May 30, 2013, at 10:40 AM, Marie Terlizzi wrote: I'm not sure if that is 100% true. Think of Easter Island. Think of the megafauna that once roamed the Americas. Think of the early deforestation in many parts of Europe, including ancient Greece. The view that the natural world is just a collection of resources for us to "develop" and convert into "wealth"and has no other value beyond what it can provide us with predates the industrial revolution, capitalism and large corporations. So do greed, selfishness and lack of concern and empathy for Corporate capitalism and modern technology have merely allowed us to exploit/destroy the natural world more rapidly, efficiently and extensively. The video reminded me of something I became aware of during a visit to Assisi, Italy in the late 1970s. The local people were still shooting songbirds to eat. In the hometown of St. Francis who supposedly preached to the birds and considered all living things to be brothers and sisters! How insensitive do you have to be to do this? No one was starving in Assisi, and there is little meat on a songbird anyway. No doubt, songbirds were considered some kind of delicacy. All they saw in the birds was something to kill and smack their lips over. It reminds me of the fellow in the video grabbing the two snakes and making boots out of them. That's all he saw. (Note: Hunting of songbirds around Assissi was finally banned in 1984, after an outcry started by an American environmentalist who visited there in 1982) One of my favorite quotes, supposedly from the writer and naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch (1893-1970) “If people destroy something replaceable made by mankind, they are called vandals; if they destroy something irreplaceable made by God, they are called developers.” From: Cecile Lawrence <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Reply-To: Sustainability in Tompkins County <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Date: Wednesday, May 29, 2013 4:42 PM To: Sustainability in Tompkins County <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re:[sustainable_tompkins-l] A very short history The video is more accurately titled a very short history of corporate capitalist predatory man's relationship with the natural world. For a very different perspective, see this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKmRpWdZYm4 Roving With Lalah: Sweet Belfield What about the chapter where he learns from his mistakes? Will there be tine? It's a cliff hanger! Stick around for some real entertainment! David I thought there were plenty of aesthetics. Most of the fine arts were there: classical music as the score (and played on a FINE piano); baroque furniture; FINE clothes (put me in mind of Liberace), and all that printed literature. Fine food? Not so much. As David noted, there were no social dimensions visible; just implied by the industrial goods (food and otherwise). But I think all that is to the creator's point (cowboy culture of individualism), so I don't think it needs modification. Margaret On May 28, 2013, at 1:45 PM, David Peter McCobb wrote: That's not the whole story. It leaves out both the social and the aesthetic dimensions of the starring species. Needs modification. Phew. ;) On May 28, 2013, at 11:41 AM, Marie Terlizzi wrote: This cartoon says it ALL in three minutes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfGMYdalClU&feature=player_embedded<http://www.youtube.com/embed/WfGMYdalClU> And this comment below Everyone turned moralist and defender of the planet now, but in five minutes you will be keep moving your life as if nothing was happening. Sad but true. David P. McCobb, Ph.D. Neurobiology and Behavior W153 Mudd Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY 14853 607 254-4321 [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ If you have questions about this list please contact the list manager, Tom Shelley, at [email protected].
