[SSC] Saving the Planet

[Joss Winn]

Thanks, Jonathan.

This reminds me of David Orr's 'What is Education For?'

http://www.context.org/iclib/ic27/orr/

A good essay which formed part of the discussion between Mike and I leading up to proposing the SSC.

Joss


On 20 Jun 2012, at 18:54, Jonathan Coope wrote:

> Dear team,
>                 Here's another angle on the urgent need to revamp the university (and presumably its curricula?) in an era of 'crisis'
> 
> All good wishes
> Jonathan C
> 
> Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:29:54 +0100
> From: nicholas.maxwell at UCL.AC.UK
> Subject: Saving the Planet
> To: FRIENDSOFWISDOM at JISCMAIL.AC.UK
> 
> Dear All,
>  
>                                     George Monbiot published a very good, despairing article in The Guardian today, here in the UK, lamenting the all-but inevitable failure of the earth summit in Rio to do what needs to be done.  All we have is hope, he concludes, and it is hope that is the rope from which we all hang.
>  
>                                     Here is my response, dashed off as a letter to The Guardian, which they may, or may not publish.
>  
> In his despairing call for a change in the system to save the planet (It's make or break in Rio just like they told us in 1992), George Monbiot once again overlooks the one institution that, crucially, must be changed.  It is the university.  Our only hope of saving the planet and creating a wiser world is to do so democratically.  But that, in turn, requires that electorates, the people of the world, have a good understanding of what our global problems are, and what we need to do about them.  That in turn requires that our institutions of learning are rationally designed and devoted to helping humanity learn what our problems are, and what we need to do about them.  Dramatically and disastrously, they are not.  Universities at present betray both reason and humanity.  They seek to acquire knowledge, and do not give absolute priority to our problems of living, and what we need to do to solve them.  And the mere provision of knowledge and technological know-how can actually intensify our global problems.  They make modern industry and agriculture possible, which in turn have led to global warming, destruction of natural habitats and extinction of species, lethal modern warfare, population growth, and the other global problems we suffer from.
>  
> As a matter of urgency, we need to bring about a revolution in our schools and universities so that the basic task becomes to help us learn how we can change what needs to be changed in the system so that we begin to make progress to as wise, good a world as possible.
>  
>                      Best wishes,
>  
>                               Nick
> Website: www.nick-maxwell.demon.co.uk
> Publications online: http://philpapers.org/profile/17092
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