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Voices from the Gathering Storm: The Web of Ecological-Societal Crisis ed. by Drs. Joseph Arcos, Mary Argus, and F.J. DiCarlo Word Association Publishers, 2005
Death claimed both Arcos and DiCarlo before the book was published, so the demanding task of proofing and polishing so much technical material was left to Argus, who made it a true labor of love. The handsome end-product is a tribute to her industry and commitment, as well as a gift to all of us. The authors call attention to an array of ominous symptoms, and in sounding alarms, they wish to awaken us from complacency with the status quo. But the pervasive presence of a "herd-mentality, shortsightedness, stupidity, and greed," says Dr. Arcos, does not bode well for the future. Without the voices of solid science and concerned intelligence, there is little prospect for avoiding the looming apocalypse. Ironically, perverted religious views play a large part in contributing to the magnitude of the problem, whereas the central values of the world's major religious traditions at their best could and should offer solid grounds for rational hope for both the survival of humanity and the welfare of the planet. Dr. Arcos dated his own critical awakening to an October day in 1988 when he was hard at work at his desk in Washington. (All three of the editors were Senior Science Advisors in the EPA's Office of Pesticides and Toxic Substances). He happened to gather all the available file data on human population size and plotted them on a graph against time in terms of years. As the demographic growth curve began to take shape on paper, he sat in shocked amazement, dazed at the incredibly steep exponential curve that emerged, which could only signal deep trouble for all of world humanity in the not very distant future. From that day on, he was virtually obsessed with this crisis, researching and analyzing its components, and trying to penetrate the "veil of denial" that keeps most from realizing that our societies are "dancing the tango at the edge of the abyss." This led him to realize that the greater crisis is a crisis of values. From his perch in the Capitol, he observed all-too-well that "the ship of state is steered by a wisdom of the lowest common denominator and no vision." So, he tried to assemble a team of well-informed visionaries to contribute relevant insights from many different angles. We can do no more here than provide some samples of the stimuli that await the reader. Francesco di Castri of UNESCO in his essay points to some of the truly distressing paradoxes confronting the whole environmental movement: "1) It is unfolding at two speeds: at a high speed in the deterioration of our habitat, and at a low speed in the solutions adopted." 2) Inadequate structures and stagnant mentalities afflict the whole scientific community, hindering the direction of proper research. And 3) most of the crucial disciplines ignore one another or rival one another to obtain the limited funds so they can direct them solely toward their own preferred programs. The ever-thoughtful and challenging Thomas Berry explains why "the industrial period has brought us to the terminal phase, not simply of western civilization, but to the end of the Cenozoic Era itself." Only the development of "greatly heightened sensitivities to the workings of the planet" could give any hope of steering away from its destruction. But "the truly regretful thing is that so much of this is irreversible in anything like human-historical time. What is available to us now is the emerging Ecozoic Era when humans will become present to the Earth in a mutually enhancing manner. To do this will require that we appreciate and honor the principle that the Earth is primary and that humans are a derivative." Berry's vision is awesome in alerting us to how radical a reversal must be implemented. Survival depends on learning how to terminate "the industrial plundering of the Earth in such a way that we can enter into a completely new sense of how humans should perceive and approach life on this planet—in a spirit of stewardship and covenant." This sobering reminder is followed by another hard-hitting, insightful essay, this time by Dr. Daniel Chiras of the University of Denver as he digs deep to uncover the "root causes" of the crisis. He demolishes the old single-cause theories by sketching persuasively the extremely "complex, highly interconnected network of causation" that offers an entirely new kind of perspective on the problem. The major environmental transgressions owe their origin in large part, he insists, to "biological imperialism," which, combined with "technological liberation from limits," has made our species "the most rapacious and dangerous life form on the planet." That said, only a similar network of intelligent counter-strategies can provide any hope for effective solutions: "education, ethical changes, legislative and regulatory reform, and a massive economic restructuring are vital to the cultural evolution—probably even the survival—of human society." For non-scientists it is a very different kind of jolt that comes from the next prominent scientist, a cancer research specialist from the University of Wisconsin Medical School. Dr. Van Rensselaer Potter grapples with the likelihood of a "fatal flaw" in the very process of evolution itself. He points out "that we cannot afford to overlook the fact that the very emergence on earth of a species which came to dominate all other species and degrade the planet" seems to mean that our own destruction may be "built into" evolution. "The tragedy is that our instinct for short-term gain is so strong" that we have been unable to temper individual instincts with the long-term needs of the species. The implications of this are staggering. It is fine to talk of the need for "global bioethics," but it looks like we have "neither the understanding nor the moral stature nor the time needed" to overcome the fatal flaw. To have a ghost of a chance of finding our way by embracing a truly global bioethics, humankind must proceed "with humility, responsibility, and competence explicitly directed toward the long-range survival of the human species in acceptable form, linked to a compassion for present populations, consented control of human fertility, and the preservation as well as restoration of a healthful environment." What an agenda to try to address when so many people, religious and otherwise, are still resisting even the most basic understanding of evolution. This is not exactly a sane way to address or overcome a still little-recognized fatal flaw in the very life-process. It is tempting to want to highlight more of the rich substance of chapters with which this collection is packed, but space does not permit. Let me close by noting that, after setting forth twenty demanding chapters, the editors themselves recognize that it is too much for anyone to take in—or to act upon—without serious contemplation by "a quiet mind, silence within." So they close with a change of pace, reprinting a couple of brief articles that encourage the reader to stop, look within, and let as much as possible sink in. Adjusting mind and heart to 'reality', the reality here shown so persuasively to be in such great crisis, is beyond doubt more important than the manifold activities that fill our days. In that sense the book is indeed an invitation to broaden our perspectives and deepen our commitment to caring for the only habitat entrusted to us. More information about the authors, their positions and their contributions, as well as reviews and chapter excerpts, can be found at: http://voices.datacorner.com.
Jim Megivern is Professor Emeritus in Philosophy and Religion at UNC Wilmington. He is a contributing founder of CCV and a regular columnist.
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Carolina Civic Voice Summer 2006 Vol. 6, No 2 |