The sociologist Max Weber once described scientific understanding as leading to a disenchantment of nature. This is a paradox, of course, since a sense of amazement is vital to an ethic of care and preservation, and yet we cannot expect to take proper care of land without understanding it works. Weber’s point was perhaps overly simplified, since as writers such as Annie Dillard and Marilynne Robinson have made clear what we gain in understanding about the workings of the world can help to increase our sense of wonder and amazement.
Home Waters
Climate Change, “Free” Markets, and Politics
BYU sponsored a conference on Europe this week, and one of the panels was devoted to a discussion of energy and environment. The speakers included David Long, a BYU professor of Electrical Engineering, who has done extensive work on remote sensing that has played a key role in gathering evidence of the climate’s warming patterns; Günter Hörmandinger, the Environmental Counselor for the European Union delegation in Washington, DC; and Michael Mehling of the Ecologic Institute, also in DC. What was unanimously clear from their presentations is that the consensus on the reality of climate change is beyond dispute, that regulations can spur innovation rather than kill creativity, and that therefore working to mitigate against the effects of climate change is not only economically feasible but ethically important. [Read more…] about Climate Change, “Free” Markets, and Politics
Poetry and Politics, again
Mark Strand recently read his poetry on campus at BYU. In the question and answer session, he made a stunning remark that is worth consideration. He wondered out loud what kind of a different world we would have if heads of state gave some time to poetry in their lives. This is a topic that has garnered the attention of some of Western civilization’s greatest thinkers, of course, and is a debate as old as that between Plato and Aristotle. I won’t pretend to rehash all of that here. What struck me in particular was that he identified poetry’s value as an expression of the inner life of human existence. All people have inner lives, he noted, but not everyone has an “articulated inner life.” Two people can love each other intensely, he said wryly, but they can only say “I love you” over and over again staring into each other’s eyes for so long before things get a little boring and divorce becomes necessary. His assumption, then, is that something about the exchange of articulations and representations of one’s inner life with another allows relationships to be sustained in the long term. Presumably this is because an articulated inner life allows us to see the fully human and considerably deep dimensions of our experience. The lack of recognition for our mutual humanity, he insisted, is precisely what drives conflict on a personal level but also in the larger civic sphere. [Read more…] about Poetry and Politics, again
“And now I know that man is nothing”
I confess to feeling my utter insignificance. Even when I imagine my life as having realized its maximum impact on the world, it doesn’t take much imagination or realism to acknowledge that one’s life becomes insignificant in the long term with only a turn or two of the years. And what does it matter anyway? Why feel the need to leave a mark, to be remembered? What could possibly motivate this other than some kind of romance about immortality, about mattering in the hearts and minds of those to come. But can we really say that such admiration, even when it has been achieved by the truly famous has mattered at all to them? [Read more…] about “And now I know that man is nothing”
Family Relationships and the Outdoors
Recently I was asked to be on the Mike Townsend show at KBYU Radio. Mike is a specialist in family relationships, and he wanted to talk about the value of getting our kids outside. I don’t consider myself an expert in child psychology nor do I think I have managed to get my kids outdoors with exceptional frequency. But I have strong feelings about the importance of experiences in nature that shape us from an early age.
Environmental Stewardship and Mormon Belief
I will be speaking next week at a fireside in a neighboring stake. The topic is “Environmental Stewardship and Mormon Belief.” I have written and spoken about this topic for 14 years. I don’t suppose I can talk about it enough. I believe that the gospel of Christ contains all truth, that all topics are relevant and important to consider. There is almost no topic I am not interested in reading and talking about with others, especially when it concerns the fundamental principles of Christ’s teachings. So despite the fact that I have devoted so much time to the environment in my life, I do in fact think and write about other matters. Nevertheless, I don’t suppose I will stop talking about this topic until our culture changes, until we Mormons have awakened to our stewardship with greater awareness, passion, and interest. Although I have my opinions about policy, I believe that there are many viable solutions, that a variety of approaches will make the greatest difference, and I believe fundamentally in the power of individual inspiration. If Mormons and all people everywhere of good will would allow themselves to truly and deeply listen to what science is telling us about our ailing planet and if we could reach deep into our respective traditions to find the gems of earthly wisdom they contain and begin, even in just small ways, to act on them, we would ignite a kind of passion and commitment and concern that would transform our environmental behavior and perhaps even allow some healing.
[Read more…] about Environmental Stewardship and Mormon Belief