Anyone with the link can now access dolphin ascendant, our ramshackle online library. If you would like to contribute, let us know.
(click here to view previous related posts)
Showing posts with label ideology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ideology. Show all posts
23 February 2011
12 February 2011
Sagan Spamming
Letting the people know what Papa Carl has to say (via google search).
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| Photo credit: Skepticblog |
"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
"For small creatures such as we the vastness is bearable only through love."
"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."
"Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge."
"Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep thoughts can be winnowed from deep nonsense."
Links to free PDFs of his writings:
26 January 2011
"Dolphin Ascendant" launch announcement
Exciting news on the freedom of information front: we have launched a website where all of our digital copies of educational materials will be accessible. Everything from encyclopedias to documentaries to copies of lesson plans and class notes will be available on "dolphin ascendant." It will take a few months to get the hyperlinks working properly and a few more to increase our online storage capacity, but we do have a few things up already. Because of fair use laws, access to the site is limited to people who ask us for permission via email. I personally invision a future where access to information is not limited to those who have the money to afford internet access and educational materials. Unfortunately, this utopic notion is not reality, but perhaps "dolphin ascendant" can play a small part in getting us there. Just zoom an email to mydoglikeschz@gmail.com if you are interested in access.
09 November 2010
Considering the "unimaginable" future...
The folks over at Worldchanging: Bright Green posted a 2007 TED talk given by their founder Alex:
He makes some interesting points about the future, namely that a sustainable one is unimaginable because we don't know how (yet) to integrate environmental and human rights concerns into something shareable with all cultures. He then talks about the purpose of Worldchanging as providing information on how this future is already happening worldwide and gives several examples of local solutions in various parts of the global South. Alex's examples show that solutions are most effective when they are developed according to the context of the problems they solve - when they are unique to the environments in which they will be implemented. Such ideas may not necessarily translate to a global scale because they are unique to specific peoples and places. Our readings from our historical ecology class (taught by the righteous and glamorous Sharyn Jones) have been discussing similar issues in terms of activism in Environmental Anthropology. As we all figure out how to navigate our paths to the future , it is imperative to remember that broad systemic changes must take place alongside local, grassroots, context specific movements in order for sustainability to become valued and pursued as a human right. Through this blog and the blogs of our classmates (the garden girls and the the pescetarian project), we hope to work from both ends, documenting local and global movements for change.
He makes some interesting points about the future, namely that a sustainable one is unimaginable because we don't know how (yet) to integrate environmental and human rights concerns into something shareable with all cultures. He then talks about the purpose of Worldchanging as providing information on how this future is already happening worldwide and gives several examples of local solutions in various parts of the global South. Alex's examples show that solutions are most effective when they are developed according to the context of the problems they solve - when they are unique to the environments in which they will be implemented. Such ideas may not necessarily translate to a global scale because they are unique to specific peoples and places. Our readings from our historical ecology class (taught by the righteous and glamorous Sharyn Jones) have been discussing similar issues in terms of activism in Environmental Anthropology. As we all figure out how to navigate our paths to the future , it is imperative to remember that broad systemic changes must take place alongside local, grassroots, context specific movements in order for sustainability to become valued and pursued as a human right. Through this blog and the blogs of our classmates (the garden girls and the the pescetarian project), we hope to work from both ends, documenting local and global movements for change.
03 November 2010
The Victory of the Commons
Some visitors to the blog have asked for more information on Hardin's Tragedy of the Commons and how it relates to One Th!ng.
Hardin's 1968 essay used the following hypothetical example to describe a negative phenomenon that he saw occurring throughout history: A socially stable community of herdsman all graze their cattle in a shared field ("the commons"). One cattleman adds one cow to his herd assuming his actions will have little to no impact on the shared grazing land and its users. The cattleman increases his profits by a small increment, but simultaneously decreases by the same small increment the amount of available grazing land for the rest of the cattlemen's herds. Other cattlemen also add one more animal to their herds, each thinking that "just one more" will not impact the surrounding herdsmen. The result: multiple herd additions lead to a significant decrease in the available grazing land in the shared commons, the land can no longer sustain the herdsmen and their cattle and all move on to consume other greener pastures.
It is important to note that Hardin was writing in defense of private property and his interpretations are therefore biased towards his own values. Furthermore, he is not an anthropologist and fails to use any cross-cultural examples to support his ideas (in fact, economist Elinor Ostrom has since refuted his Hardin's theory based on evidence from Guatemala, Nepal, and other places and was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for her research). Nonetheless, Hardin's theory explains how and why the negative effects of human activities can grow at exponential rates into unmanageable monsters and reflects how many members of our own culture still approach sustainability efforts: as a lost cause. However, if Hardin's theory is true regarding the negative actions of individuals, could positive actions produce opposite results? Could a different perspective on the concept of the Commons help individuals from diverse cultural contexts unite and work together for causes they share? We think so! The Tragedy of the Commons can be the Victory of the Commons if we apply the same theory to our assumed "small" progressive actions. Our decisions and behavior have repercussions beyond what we can ever know, but ruminating on the negative consequences of our actions can be overwhelming and ultimately is not productive. By changing the way we live a little bit each day, recognizing what we all have in common as the species Homo sapiens sapiens - namely our planet Earth and the future of life on this planet - and working towards a sustainable future, we can change the world.
Source:
"The Tragedy of the Commons." Garrett Hardin (1968).
Source:
"The Tragedy of the Commons." Garrett Hardin (1968).
28 March 2009
What is One Th!ng?
One Th!ng seeks to accomplish three goals:
1. To inspire people to act by putting the power for change in the hands of the individual.
As I've grown older I've learned some wonderful things about the world and the living things that inhabit it. I've also had to face the consequences of the actions of humans, the actions of myself. The problems that we -- that I -- have caused to other individuals and to the planet are deep and seemingly insurmountable. Classmates from my global issues course shared these feelings of frustration with themselves and the problems, and harbored guilt for not acting to combat them. Most of them seemed to feel like world problems are simply too large for any one person to change. I questioned some acquaintances outside of class and they agreed, most of them saying that individual efforts are pointless in the grand scheme of global issues. One Th!ng desires to change this line of thinking, acting out Garrett Hardin's idea of the Tragedy of the Commons in reverse. By doing one thing one time, no matter how small, for others or for the planet, an individual creates one positive change in the world. This individual is not alone in her or his actions; others have been and are doing things as well, making each individual's one thing apart of a larger movement towards change. Also, by encouraging individuals to engage in just one thing, One Th!ng seeks to remove the guilt that daily, weekly, annual, etc. committments to action or monetary donations often cause when the committment is not kept. However, I've found it nearly impossible to stop at one since I adopted the One Th!ng mindset!
2. To provide individuals with resources to carry out their One Th!ng for causes that matter to them.
As One Th!ng develops I hope to include links to foundations and organizations arranged by cause and geographic location, as well as lists of small things each of us can do to make a big difference.
3. To facilitate the sharing of ideas among One TH!ng-ers and the global community.
Operating on the premise that groups of individuals have more things in common than not, One Th!ng's greater aim is to encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to participate in a campaign for a common goal: global change through individual action. Visitors to the site are encouraged to post ideas, links, testimonies, photos, etc. from their experiences doing One Th!ng, voice their thoughts on and constructive critiques of One Th!ng and its participants, and to engage with individuals across the globe in the exchange of ideas.
(click here to navigate to a follow-up post on the Victory of the Commons)
1. To inspire people to act by putting the power for change in the hands of the individual.
As I've grown older I've learned some wonderful things about the world and the living things that inhabit it. I've also had to face the consequences of the actions of humans, the actions of myself. The problems that we -- that I -- have caused to other individuals and to the planet are deep and seemingly insurmountable. Classmates from my global issues course shared these feelings of frustration with themselves and the problems, and harbored guilt for not acting to combat them. Most of them seemed to feel like world problems are simply too large for any one person to change. I questioned some acquaintances outside of class and they agreed, most of them saying that individual efforts are pointless in the grand scheme of global issues. One Th!ng desires to change this line of thinking, acting out Garrett Hardin's idea of the Tragedy of the Commons in reverse. By doing one thing one time, no matter how small, for others or for the planet, an individual creates one positive change in the world. This individual is not alone in her or his actions; others have been and are doing things as well, making each individual's one thing apart of a larger movement towards change. Also, by encouraging individuals to engage in just one thing, One Th!ng seeks to remove the guilt that daily, weekly, annual, etc. committments to action or monetary donations often cause when the committment is not kept. However, I've found it nearly impossible to stop at one since I adopted the One Th!ng mindset!
2. To provide individuals with resources to carry out their One Th!ng for causes that matter to them.
As One Th!ng develops I hope to include links to foundations and organizations arranged by cause and geographic location, as well as lists of small things each of us can do to make a big difference.
3. To facilitate the sharing of ideas among One TH!ng-ers and the global community.
Operating on the premise that groups of individuals have more things in common than not, One Th!ng's greater aim is to encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds to participate in a campaign for a common goal: global change through individual action. Visitors to the site are encouraged to post ideas, links, testimonies, photos, etc. from their experiences doing One Th!ng, voice their thoughts on and constructive critiques of One Th!ng and its participants, and to engage with individuals across the globe in the exchange of ideas.
(click here to navigate to a follow-up post on the Victory of the Commons)
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