“What the mind doesn’t know, the eye cannot see” is what our Forensic Medicine professor used to say back at medical college. We can only find what we’re looking for if we have an idea of what we’re looking for.
I recently took part in a workshop for teachers involved in environmental studies. It was called [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Environment’
Observation
Posted in Education, Environmental Concept, Introspection, tagged Activity, Children, Education, Environment, Neighbourhood, Observation, Transect Walk on July 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Play your part
Posted in Development, Introspection, tagged Choices, Environment, Philosophy, Sustainable Development on June 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
“The first step in being a part of the solution is to not be a part of the problem”.
It becomes very difficult for us to suddenly accept that many of our activities of daily living are problem creators, “I’ve been doing this all my life… my parents have lived their life the same way and [...]
Three beautiful poems about relationship with nature
Posted in Introspection, Quoted, tagged Environment, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Philosophy, Poems, Robert Frost, Wendell Berry on April 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
A poem by the American farmer, environmentalist and poet, Wendell Berry:
Sowing the seed
My hand is one with the Earth
Wanting the seed to grow,
My mind is one with the light.
Hoeing the crop,
My hands are one with the rain.
Having cared for the plants,
My mind is one with the air.
Hungry and trusting,
My mind is one with the Earth
Eating [...]
Precautionary Principle
Posted in Development, Environmental Concept, tagged Environment, Legislature, Philosophy, Precautionary Principle on April 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This important piece of legislature is worth knowing about. It is a safety valve mechanism which allows us to challenge any developmental initiative on the lines of doubt of negative impacts the initiative may have.
Even though science is growing at an astronomical pace, there are many things that we don’t know and can’t prove. Any [...]
The Illusions of Time, Space and Person
Posted in Environmental Concept, Ideology, Introspection, tagged Actions, Buddhism, Consequences, Environment, Illusions, Philosophy on March 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Consequences of action seek definability. One knows through experience not to touch a steaming cup of coffee or their hands or lips may get burnt in the process.
The ramifications of ones actions are not always so definable. If one spills water on the stairway, someone else may slip and fall a few minutes later. But [...]
The Earth Organism
Posted in Environmental Concept, Ideology, Introspection, tagged Environment, Philosophy, Gaia Hypothesis, Crisis on February 28, 2009 | 2 Comments »
I’ve already introduced the term ‘Gaia Hypothesis’ in a previous post and I think it is about time we explore a little further into this all important concept.
An easy way to get a better understanding of the concept is to compare the earth as a whole to the functioning of the human body. The human [...]
Excerpts from ‘Wild Fictions’
Posted in Quoted, tagged Environment, Philosophy, Writing on February 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
This is a wonderful essay by Amitav Ghosh. The following paragraphs just give the first part of the essay and I would recommend you to read the entire essay from elsewhere on the internet.
Wild Fictions: Narratives of Nature and the Politics of Forests.
by Amitav Ghosh
If there is anything distinctive about human [...]
Ideologies in environmentalism
Posted in Environmental Concept, Ideology, tagged Anthropocentricism, Biocentricism, Ecocentricism, Environment, Philosophy on January 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
If one were to read the literature discussing the evolution and history of the approaches to environmental issues, there are 2 or 3 basic ideologies that govern the thought process of human perception about the environment. More specifically, the various outlooks to other living beings are of prime significance in our approach to nature.
A few terms which are to be discussed [...]
Understanding exponential growth
Posted in Environmental Concept, Introspection, tagged Environment, Growth, Philosophy, Problem definition on December 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Growth is a common word, used repeatedly by governments of ‘developing countries’ to measure progress. By growth, one can imply economic growth or population growth or consumption growth. Growth is usually measured at national level by the GDP – Gross Domestic Product, which is the total values of the goods and services a country produces. [...]
