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Critical Thought about Senseless Contradictions

Posts Tagged ‘Environment’

Fallacy of Composition: A Senseless Contradiction…

February 9th, 2010

I wrote about the Land Conservation movement a few years back. In light of education reform efforts it’s worth revisiting the senseless contradictions inherent in many debates of this type.

The Land as Place…

The old paradigm has caused a polarity between conservation and development. Therefore developers ‘greenwash’ their plans to appease to conservationists. This becomes a political game.

So we educate learners to become one or the other; a developer or a conservationist. We thereby strengthen the polarization and it becomes a senseless contradiction that has no resolution in and of itself.

Like the cruise control directions to “set your speed a little slower than the person in front of you;” if everyone did this, we would slow all traffic to 35 mph as each repeatedly adjusts their speed downward in reaction to the continually slowing traffic before them. Why 35 mph? Because that is the minimum threshold for operating cruise control. Thus, the dumbing down of the majority, the mediocre mainstream, the leveling of minds to the least common denominator.

What we want adds up to what we don’t want. This is known as the fallacy of composition. Oscar Wilde wrote, » More: Fallacy of Composition: A Senseless Contradiction…

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Posted in Conservationism, Critical Thinking, Education, Environment, Futurism, Government, Population Growth, Simple Living, Sustainability, environmentalism, pedagogy

Tags: Conservation movement Economic growth Education Education reform Environment

Black is the new White…

April 2nd, 2009

While studying environmental sociology during my undergrad coursework, I picked up on a somewhat hidden and almost insidious practice among humankind with regard to environmental policy. Once uncovered, I realized what is needed is not more “policies” per se but rather, complete lifestyle changes based on a new worldview.

Even today, conservation efforts are used by politicians and developers in order to “justify” the wasteful horrors we face daily; not eliminate them. Because we create and set aside protected areas, we seem to feel better about the NONprotected ones; as a bribe of our conscience. » More: Black is the new White…

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Posted in Education, Technology, Uncategorized

Tags: Education Environment paradigm worldview

Mass Media and the Environment…

March 8th, 2008

Sapient creatures depend on the powers of cognition. Humankind needs food for thought, not just for the body. Therefore, our species seeks to understand every facet of the world in which we live. We assimilate and digest an information-rich diet by which we daily reason and justify our living. Mass media provides the feeding tube to which nearly every human being is connected from the earliest stages of life. Because we are what we eat, this same mass media bears responsibility to ensure the healthy diet of our society. But does the media feed us a balanced diet? » More: Mass Media and the Environment…

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Posted in Environment, Internet, Media, Technology

Tags: Environment information age Internet Media Technology

Food! It’s what’s for dinner…

February 29th, 2008

Food, it’s what’s for dinner…

Independence is an illusion. Our organic world dictates our dependence on things outside of us to maintain the life within. Whether air, water, food, or shelter, the maintenance of our lives depends on environmental resources.

Money, it’s how we pay for dinner…

Money represents time. We exchange our time for a unit of trade called money. We give our time to enterprise and receive money commensurate with the value attributed to the work. We use the money (our time) to buy resources that will maintain our life.

Economy, it’s why we eat dinner…

Economy comes from two greek words meaning household law. It’s what I call, the law of the pantry. In ancient times, the steward economized (dispensed) the resources of the household to its members using wisdom to ensure there would be neither unmanageable surplus nor unpleasant shortfall. The proper dispensing of resources ensure the household is maintained in good order. Poor economical choices would spell certain trouble and possible disaster.

Based on these definitions, we could state the following: our lives are » More: Food! It’s what’s for dinner…

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Posted in Biotechnology, Environment, Food

Tags: Biotechnology DNA economy Environment Food GE foods GM foods

Ecofriendly School lunches…

February 14th, 2008

Soc 333 – Assignment 2
1/23/08

Analyzing Environmental Issues
School Lunches: How to Make Cafeteria Food Better for Kids and the Environment

My favorite subject in my mid-1960’s grade school – next to recess – was lunchtime! Remember school lunches; those hot, colorful dishes served on large plastic platters and a carton of milk on the side? Included in the super low price was the promise that you were receiving all the nutrients necessary for a healthy mind and body. You knew this because the head of the school cafeteria was a Nutritionist. Such a title guaranteed you the most balanced and carefully planned diet available anywhere. You felt sorry for those poor kids who could not afford the hot lunch program and had to bring a brown bag from home with some cold, soggy sandwich. How could those brown baggers’ mothers live with their conscience? Hot school lunches were on par with Airline food and Hospital meals. People in the know were planning and preparing menus every week. We’re talking about » More: Ecofriendly School lunches…

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Posted in Education, Environment, Health

Tags: Education Environment nutrition school lunch

Simple Living with a twist…

February 13th, 2008

I’ve enjoyed the thoughtful comments from the class (Soc 333 on Sociology of Environment) concerning the simple living movement. However, I noted some inconsistencies due either to misunderstanding or circular reasoning. I wish to clarify two of them.

First, simple living is not the reduction of Man-made items. From beginning of time, man has made his shelter and clothing and containers for food and weapons to secure food. It might be better stated that Man should continue to progress by making new items in » More: Simple Living with a twist…

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Posted in Environment, Simple Living, Sustainability

Tags: Environment Simple Living Sustainability synthesis

We are “Human Beings” (not ‘human doings’)

February 12th, 2008

1. “How deep the ruts of tradition and conformity!” (Thoreau, Walden, paragraph 6 of Conclusion)

The Simple Living movement recognizes the superficiality of present day society which, though formed with mankind’s happiness in view, has not succeeded in achieving it. Thoreau, who saw through the facade from nearly every angle, said it best when he penned, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” (Economy, paragraph 9). His view of the modern world’s pursuit of luxuries was a “positive hindrance to the elevation of mankind.” (Ibid, paragraph 19). He had come to realize that ‘being’ was more important then ‘doing’ but that society had only framed a universe for the latter rather than the former. The Simple Living movement therefore, is interested in » More: We are “Human Beings” (not ‘human doings’)

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Posted in Environment, Health, Simple Living, environmentalism

Tags: buddhism Environment Simple Living stress Thoreau walden