Author: oamber

Now I don’t mean ECO in the “economical” kind of way. I mean ECO in the “ecological” kind of way. As humans, we tend to record history through the sociological lens. Wars, politics, disease, famine, drought, floods, you name it, are all recorded throughout history using a more anthropocentric approach. All of these aforementioned things are caused and dictated by humans and our interactions with other humans. For better or worse, this changes the way we look at science. Statistics show that the majority of Americans are scientifically illiterate – and that’s even including people with higher degrees (such as Masters and PhD’s). How do we get people to start paying attention to and caring about science? Well, Professor Wood, author of the book “Tambora” attempts to look at history not through the anthropological lens, but through the ecological lens.

The objective behind changing the approach to viewing current events and history is to (as Professor Wood does throughout his book) proportionally combine the value of nature with the value of humans. It is paramount that we as humans accept our position as stewards of the earth. We must create a more fundamental moral concern for nature.

For decades the 1815 eruption of Tambora in Indonesia  was not widely understood. Mostly due to the lack of technology and media during this time, many people in the Northern hemisphere did not even know this eruption happened. For years following this eruption caused famine, wars, droughts, floods, etc. Nobody understood what was causing these problems until a century later, when scientists and historians began to expose the science behind nuclear energy, and, in turn, testing volcanic energy and the significance behind their eruptions. This is a prime example of nature’s influence on our lives and our histories.

The current outbreak of the Zika virus could be tied up in one of these anthropological-ecological sequences. What could be causing the epidemic? Most likely something to do with climate change. We can’t know for certain but time will tell. Most importantly, it is paramount for human beings to come to terms with the fact that these epidemics and world issues CAN and PROBABLY are caused by climate change. Whether due to human influences or nature’s course of action.

Finally, we must stop living in such an egocentric world. There is more to this life and the world than one’s self. We can even better our OWN lives by choosing to live to a higher moral standard and becoming stewards towards our environment. It can only help. If humans keep refusing to take this outlook on our future, our future will be quite short. Everything is tied together in the web of life. Let’s all take the g out of ego and make it eco. Not only for the betterment of mankind, society, and health but also for the betterment of our moral standards and nature. For without nature, there will be no mankind.

Mankind has rational thought. We are centered in purpose. Our purpose being figuring out who we are in the universe. Why are we here and what are we doing? We ponder these questions every day. Aristotle, the dominating power of the scientific revolution, says that in this universe, people by nature have an innate desire to know things; and, these things could be anything. At the end of the 17th century, natural philosophers were replaced by scientists who attempted to define “things” by quantities such as mass, atoms, pressure, etc. Did this replacement force changes in how mankind thinks about the world? Yes and no. What came first, philosophical This question follows the same notion as the “what came first the chicken or the egg” theory. We don’t know the answer and we never will know the answer, but, we will try to figure it out anyway.

The word “revolution” itself is basically our attempt to understand the massive changes we see happening in our universe. But are these massive changes actually a specific cataclysmic event in which the modern world tries to conquer the medieval world? Well, that’s what the phrase “the scientific revolution” implies. The science behind the revolution is socially and historically driven. The ideas of mankind’s past philosophers, scientists, and the like entertained new ideas and now, we try to find their wider cultural and social contexts. But what counts as scientific? The answer to this question varies based on time and location. Different generations, cultures, religions, and races all have different perspectives shaping their truisms.

Look at the 17th century again. To people, the revolution during this time meant imitating the past greek and roman empires. To this society, this idea seemed like progress, and, in some ways, it was. This revolution ended up causing a radical change in their current political which ended up in the formation of a whole new political system, for better or for worse. This example delves deeper into the lens of what a revolution means. In this example, we can take a step back and look at a revolution by using the past as example rather than in order to create a new “utopian” system. Which lens is better? That’s uncertain but, we all know that looking through someone else’s prescription glasses can be pretty fuzzy.

It seems like, with all of this uncertainty, many of the changes that occurred during the Scientific Revolution were not purely scientific. In my opinion, the phrase “a scientific revolution” better suits this historical event. There is no universal, definite definition of the term “science” and revolutions are what the definition of the word is meant to be: rotating and turning. This inherently means that a revolution is not a steadfast law. It is shapable, transformable, and changes based on opinion. A revolution is a way to evolve mankind’s need for knowledge and understanding.

Revolutions are tumultuous and transformative events that attempt to change human society… for better or for worse. Let’s look at the word itself. According to dictionary.com, the origins of the word date back to 1350-1400 A.D. stemming from the Middle English and Late Latin words revolucion and revelutio meaning “a rotation or a turnaround.” Mankind is constantly expanding and transforming. If you think about it, at some level, we are constantly revolutionizing. Whether it be ourselves, our families, our schools, our towns, our countries, our political structures, etc. Throughout time, as mankind grows, many of the transformations evolve into revolutions, usually sparked by some sort of violent act. All revolutions challenge the existing societal order; for example, the American Revolution of the 18th century sought to overthrow political authority.  Others, like the Industrial Revolution, seek economic growth. All revolutions are unique to their locations, causes, and times. Since the beginning of recorded history mankind has constantly revolutionized cultures, societies, political systems, etc. However, all of these revolutions have different connotations. Let’s take a look at that aforementioned timescale of human existence, starting the with modern day 15th and 16th Century Europe. During this time, mankind attempted to capture the glory of the Greek and Roman Empires of the past by thinking about their history. It was during this time that instead of working towards a future goal, they looked back at their past and tried to emulate history.  This historical introspection caused a shift in the conceptual understanding of science in the 17th Century. In the 18th Century these ideas morphed into a national interpretation of science, dominating the political governances and cultural ideals of intellectual societies (still mostly specific to Europe). This cultural shift in Europe permeated the globe throughout the 19th Century as technologies advanced and revolutionized not only the lives of the intellectual, high class, but also the lives of the working class. Just like the course name, revolutions are a continuum of change; they are the revolving door at which mankind expresses the need for systematic change.

One of my favorite poems (written by a German American poet named Arthur Guiterman called “On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness”) captures the reality of the juxtaposition of human (and animal) power and the passing of time:

The tusks that clashed in mighty brawls

Of matedons, are billard balls,

The sword of Charlemagne the Just

Is Ferric Oxide, known as rust.

The Grizzly bear, whose potent hug

Was feared by all, is now a rug.

Great Caesar’s bust is on the shelf.

And I don’t feel so well myself.

This poem shows that human power has a time constraint. It depicts mankind’s need for change; in turn, sparking rebellion and discontent….

                                             a revolution.