Jennifer Marohasy

a forum for the discussion of issues concerning the natural environment

Philosophy

From Gaia to Medea: More Hubris

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THE Gaia hypothesis first proposed by British scientist James Lovelock – the notion that all living things are interlinked as a single self-regulating body – is popular with some scientists and accords with the idea that because human activity has changed the chemical composition of the atmosphere we are likely to be interfering with the climate and upsetting the balance of nature.  

Paleontologist, Peter Ward, rejects the notion of Gaia, and is running a contrarian but equally hubris argument in his new book, ‘The Medea Hypothesis: Is Life on Earth Ultimately Self-Destructive?’ [1].   Professor Ward suggests because there is no balance of nature mankind will needs to intervene and thus advocates geoengineering solutions including to climate change.  

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Magazine Duped by anti-GM Activist – A Case of More of the Same

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I SUBSCRIBE to a magazine called Quadrant.   It comes out every couple of months and often includes interesting articles by well-known Australian conservatives, libertarians and mavericks on a range of topics from dinning in New York to global warming and it is the only magazine I read that includes pages of poetry. 

When I first took out my subscription to the magazine it was edited by a fellow called Paddy McGuinness – a Veteran Sydney journalist who apparently once worked for a Russian bank in London and for many years was editor of the Australian Financial Review.  In an interview before his death last year, Paddy said that he had been able “to ‘re-establish’ Quadrant as a ‘sceptical and non-ideological’ journal in the conservative spirit of Samuel Johnson, the literary colossus of 18th century England.”

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Environmentalism Needs to be Tolerant of Scepticism: Freeman Dyson

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“THERE is a worldwide secular religion which we may call environmentalism, holding that we are stewards of the earth, that despoiling the planet with waste products of our luxurious living is a sin, and that the path of righteousness is to live as frugally as possible. The ethics of environmentalism are being taught to children in kindergartens, schools, and colleges all over the world.

“Environmentalism has replaced socialism as the leading secular religion. And the ethics of environmentalism are fundamentally sound. Scientists and economists can agree with Buddhist monks and Christian activists that ruthless destruction of natural habitats is evil and careful preservation of birds and butterflies is good. The worldwide community of environmentalists—most of whom are not scientists—holds the moral high ground, and is guiding human societies toward a hopeful future. Environmentalism, as a religion of hope and respect for nature, is here to stay. This is a religion that we can all share, whether or not we believe that global warming is harmful.

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Happy in the New Year

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It’s that time of year when there is much wishing one another a “Happy New Year”. 

But how does one become “happy”?

According to the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus the path to happiness requires just three things: friends, freedom and thought (an analysed life).*  

Epicurus is also associated with the early development of the scientific method insisting that nothing should be believed except that which is tested through direct observation and logical deduction.

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*from the DVD ‘Philosophy: A Guide to Happiness’ by Alain de Bottom http://www.alaindebotton.com/philosophy.asp

Photograph of rocks at Alexandra Bay, Noosa National Park, Australia, taken in November 2008 by Jennifer Marohasy.

New Trails and Academia

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“Really new trails are rarely blazed in the great academies.  The confining walls of conformist dogma are too dominating.  To think originally, you must go forth into the wilderness.” S. Warren Carey (Australian geologist) via Fred Singer.