Some of these parasitic life forms … eek! But the oil wells and heavy mining equipment are far scarier. Finished Ways of Being a couple of weeks ago. I see shades of it reflected in this post. It really was a foundation-shaking book. I actually think I’m going to have to read it again to absorb more of the details. The first time around I was too busy dealing with tectonic shifts in my worldview to get my hands around all of it. Thanks for the rec. And this post.
"We’ll never eliminate the parasitic impulse in human culture, perhaps because it’s the dark shadow of a tool-making species always looking to work more efficiently. But the stability of life on Earth depends on our ability to seriously reduce and permanently leash the urge." YES. I think this understanding is important -- in so many cultures, it's not that the urge is absent, it's that it's recognized and there are structures and practices to constrain it.
So much to unpack here! I will reread and share with others. Thank you for your thoughtful curation of such important interconnected pieces of little known reality. I was literally just having a conversation about the convenient WASTE of the “cloud” and how people don’t realize the energy suck there (here!😳). The notion of the “overshoot day” is heavy—dystopian realism—and I am struck by the acceleration in the date from 2023 to 2024, paired with the gobsmacked scientists puzzling over ocean temps. Yikes.
It's kind of a take on our culture encouraging and rewarding behavior that isn't truly beneficial for survival, only materially beneficial. I was actually thinking about Jon Ronson's book The Psychopath Test and remembering how in it he talked about how a lot of the same personality traits we see as problematic when taken to their most extreme edge are very likely to make people who have them more successful in business and politics. Lack of remorse, lack of empathy etc. In nature it's not a question of morality but as supposedly moral beings we have to operate in a way that reduces harm. When those of us that don't care to behave morally end up in positions of power due to the way are systems are structured how do we rectify this?
Thanks very much for the shout out Jason, you are very kind.
Donald R. Prothero, a prolific science writer has a new book out, published last week actually" A History of the Earths Climate in 25 Discoveries. I ordered a copy this morning from Amazon. It deals with global warming and anthropogenic climate change. Check out Amazon for more info if anyone is interested.
"This is often very hard to look at, but if we can avoid moralizing the natural world, then parasitism is merely a type of relationship."
Thanks for this. The effort to avoid moralizing the natural world is really important. It can take the form of an anthropomorphization that lets us off the hook for our own bad actions, and clouds inspiration for reconnecting with our own best natures.
Some of these parasitic life forms … eek! But the oil wells and heavy mining equipment are far scarier. Finished Ways of Being a couple of weeks ago. I see shades of it reflected in this post. It really was a foundation-shaking book. I actually think I’m going to have to read it again to absorb more of the details. The first time around I was too busy dealing with tectonic shifts in my worldview to get my hands around all of it. Thanks for the rec. And this post.
"We’ll never eliminate the parasitic impulse in human culture, perhaps because it’s the dark shadow of a tool-making species always looking to work more efficiently. But the stability of life on Earth depends on our ability to seriously reduce and permanently leash the urge." YES. I think this understanding is important -- in so many cultures, it's not that the urge is absent, it's that it's recognized and there are structures and practices to constrain it.
So much to unpack here! I will reread and share with others. Thank you for your thoughtful curation of such important interconnected pieces of little known reality. I was literally just having a conversation about the convenient WASTE of the “cloud” and how people don’t realize the energy suck there (here!😳). The notion of the “overshoot day” is heavy—dystopian realism—and I am struck by the acceleration in the date from 2023 to 2024, paired with the gobsmacked scientists puzzling over ocean temps. Yikes.
It's kind of a take on our culture encouraging and rewarding behavior that isn't truly beneficial for survival, only materially beneficial. I was actually thinking about Jon Ronson's book The Psychopath Test and remembering how in it he talked about how a lot of the same personality traits we see as problematic when taken to their most extreme edge are very likely to make people who have them more successful in business and politics. Lack of remorse, lack of empathy etc. In nature it's not a question of morality but as supposedly moral beings we have to operate in a way that reduces harm. When those of us that don't care to behave morally end up in positions of power due to the way are systems are structured how do we rectify this?
Thanks very much for the shout out Jason, you are very kind.
Donald R. Prothero, a prolific science writer has a new book out, published last week actually" A History of the Earths Climate in 25 Discoveries. I ordered a copy this morning from Amazon. It deals with global warming and anthropogenic climate change. Check out Amazon for more info if anyone is interested.
"This is often very hard to look at, but if we can avoid moralizing the natural world, then parasitism is merely a type of relationship."
Thanks for this. The effort to avoid moralizing the natural world is really important. It can take the form of an anthropomorphization that lets us off the hook for our own bad actions, and clouds inspiration for reconnecting with our own best natures.
Have you read "The Hegemony of Psychopathy" ? I just kind of stumbled across it.