Science tells us how the natural world works, but not how we want it to work. The distinction is critical but rarely considered. It is often convenient to adopt our values from nature (as in what is “natural” is “right” or “best”), but values are a uniquely human phenomenon. At this time, even the decision to leave nature alone must be deliberate, made because we value that action after we’ve considered the history of the place, the genius of the place, our hopes for the future and the consequences of alternative management strategies. We are part of and separate from nature and recognizing how each informs our values and our interactions with nature are a large part of our challenge for the future.
As a science educator, I have spent much of my life explaining how the natural world works. I sprinkle liberal doses of the wonders of nature, our impacts on the natural world and the importance of nature to our own survival. My hope has been that with knowledge comes understanding, respect and changed values. But, if our behavior reflects our values, then this strategy is not working. My questions for the weekend retreat have to do with how the humanities can contribute to, as Bill likes to say, changing minds and hearts. Are there ways to connect more deeply to nature and to identify that which we value in nature, not just when convenient, but because nature has value – both intrinsic and instrumental. We need to find out who we are in nature, and while this must be informed by our knowledge of how the world works, we clearly need more than scientific ways of knowing to feel this connection. How can the humanities contribute to bridging the gap between what we know and how we feel; between understanding how the world works and how we want it to work?
As a science educator, I have spent much of my life explaining how the natural world works. I sprinkle liberal doses of the wonders of nature, our impacts on the natural world and the importance of nature to our own survival. My hope has been that with knowledge comes understanding, respect and changed values. But, if our behavior reflects our values, then this strategy is not working. My questions for the weekend retreat have to do with how the humanities can contribute to, as Bill likes to say, changing minds and hearts. Are there ways to connect more deeply to nature and to identify that which we value in nature, not just when convenient, but because nature has value – both intrinsic and instrumental. We need to find out who we are in nature, and while this must be informed by our knowledge of how the world works, we clearly need more than scientific ways of knowing to feel this connection. How can the humanities contribute to bridging the gap between what we know and how we feel; between understanding how the world works and how we want it to work?
Judy Bramble - Environmental Science Program
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